How to remove blackness from a gold plated chain

Gold-plated products are popular due to their brightness and expensive appearance, at a relatively low price relative to gold products. If stored improperly or frequently used, the product gradually loses its performance characteristics: it darkens and fades. Keeping your product clean and tidy is easy if you use the tricks and secrets of cleaning and care. This article contains the most effective and proven methods for cleaning gold plating at home.

Cleaning Rules

A gold-plated item is different from silver or gold, so the methods used for them are absolutely not suitable. Gold plating is very easy to ruin. The first stage of cleaning is the removal of surface dirt - dust, stains, grease. To do this, it is enough to treat the surface with alcohol or turpentine.

Gold plating is soft, so it is not recommended to use strong mechanical impact, as there is a risk of damage to the surface. Suede fabric is excellent for care; it adds shine to products and removes stains. To clean a gold-plated watch, sometimes it is enough to treat it with suede. If you need to clean gold-plated silverware, remove any grease from it first.

Before processing, perform the following steps:

Take a clean, dry cloth and wipe the gold with it. Flannel, suede and wool are perfect for this.
Then remove surface dirt.

Basic Rules

To properly clean gold-plated silver and not cause harm to it, you must adhere to the following rules.

Chalk and tooth powder, of course, can remove dirt, but they will scratch the surface of the product itself, so they cannot be used.
For work, you cannot use products intended for cleaning both gold and silver.
If the dirt is not severe, a piece of suede cloth will help get rid of it. It will also allow you to polish the cleaned jewelry and give it shine.
Some gold-plated chains have clasps made of base metal, so they may rust if exposed to water. This is why the part of the jewelry with the clasp is not immersed in an aqueous solution.

The first stage of cleaning gold-plated silver is degreasing the contamination, for which the surface should be wiped with ethyl alcohol (pure) or vinegar diluted with water (2 tablespoons per glass).

Methods for removing stains from gold plated

To clean gold plating at home, you need to select the product carefully so as not to harm the capricious surface. If the dark spots are in a small area and are not very ingrained, then at home it is enough to polish with a cloth. If the item is heavily soiled or has been stored for a long time without care, an effective cleaning method will be required.

Wine spirit

Gold-plated items can be easily cleaned from tarnish and dirt at home using wine alcohol. Saturate a soft sponge with the product and treat the surface of the product. You can replace alcohol with wine vinegar, which can be found in the kitchen. At the final stage, treat the surface with suede to rub the surface to the desired shine.

Cleaning with beer

You can clean a gold-plated chain, earrings, ring and other items dusted with gold at home using beer. Oddly enough, the mild action of this alcoholic drink effectively copes with darkening of the coating and any dirt, eliminating damage to the material.

Pour beer into a glass, dip the gold-plated item into it and leave for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.

Soap solution

Take any hard soap and grate it on a coarse grater. Take 1 tsp. shavings and dilute in 1 liter. warm water. For best results, use a couple of drops of ammonia added to soapy water. Immerse the gold in the container for 30 minutes, rinse with cool running water, and wipe dry with a clean cloth. The product effectively fights stains that have a green tint.

Alcohol and turpentine

The products help fight grease stains, darkening and dirt on the surface of gold-plated products. Ethyl, medical, denatured alcohol is suitable for cleaning. Take one of the products available in the house, saturate a soft sponge with it, treat the gilding, rinse off any remaining dirt and product under running water, and polish with a cloth.

Table vinegar

The diluted product is used to wipe or soak the product.

Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 tbsp. water, moisten the sponge and treat the surface with the composition.
Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 l. water and place the item in the composition for 15 minutes.

After all procedures, it is important to rinse the gold plating from any remaining product and dry it thoroughly. Acid residue can destroy the gold plating and permanently damage your favorite jewelry or cutlery.

Egg white against darkening

Break the egg and separate the yolk from the white. In this recipe we need protein. Dip a cotton pad into the white and apply it to the gilding. Cleaning will restore the shine and brightness of the coating. The effectiveness of the product will be higher if you add a tablespoon of white to the protein. When working with chemicals, you will need to protect your hands with gloves.

Soap, Vaseline and chalk

The procedure is simple.

Take 1 tbsp. l. Vaseline, chalk, water and pre-grated laundry soap.
Using a soft cloth, gold-plated products are carefully coated with this composition. You can’t rub it, you just need to apply the product to the surface.
Wait 10 minutes.
Rinse the items and rub them with suede.

If you strictly follow the recommendations, the method is completely safe. The chalk must be thoroughly crushed to a powdery state.

What can't you do to clean gold plate?

Any products used should not contain abrasive particles. Even the smallest particles can severely damage the spray. For example, you should not clean gold plate with chalk, toothpaste, soda or powder.

Any abrasive product will cause scratches.

Some products are coated with a very thin layer of coating; abrasives easily erase it. Do not use rough scourers or brushes, or aggressive acids for cleaning.

Caring for gold-plated jewelry: storage rules

The surest way to protect jewelry from scratches and other defects is to provide them with proper storage conditions. Products that are gilded are especially vulnerable to mechanical, chemical and atmospheric influences, so when choosing a place to keep your jewelry, you should follow three simple rules:

The storage location must be absolutely dry. The preferred option would be special cases. Place chains and necklaces separately from each other, first stretching out the links - this will help avoid creases;
Under no circumstances should jewelry come into contact with each other, as this can lead to small scratches on their surface;
You should avoid exposing your jewelry to direct sunlight to protect the jewelry from fading.

Naturally, all jewelry should be stored in a place with moderate humidity, isolated from precipitation, chemicals, alkalis, etc. By ensuring proper storage conditions, you can protect your gold-plated jewelry from damage and simplify its further care as much as possible.

Prevention and care rules

The gold plating wears off over time. Constant use leads to a gradual thinning of the spray layer. By following some recommendations you can extend the service life. Rules for caring for gold-plated products:

Regularly polish cutlery and decorations using a suede cloth.
Minimize contact with water, perfume and body creams.
Place each product separately, so that they do not touch each other. After each use of jewelry, put it back in place. Distribute each decoration into separate suede bags, and cutlery into special boxes.

Clean regularly, regardless of whether the product has lost its attractive appearance or not.

Not everyone can afford to purchase a product made of pure gold, so many people prefer silver jewelry with gilding. Such decorations look very impressive and are relatively inexpensive. But over time, all jewelry loses its original shine and beauty: silver is no exception, even gold-plated silver. We will tell you how to properly care for it and clean it so as to get rid of the blackness.

But first, to avoid disappointment, you must first choose it correctly.

Why does gold-plated silver darken?

Gilded silver is silver with a thin layer of gold on the surface. And over time, dark spots and a slightly greenish coating appear on silver jewelry with gilding (this is exactly the difference between gilded silver and pure silver).

We explained why pure silver turns black here. But how does blackness appear on a gold-plated product? Yes the same.

The reason may be either improper wearing (during cleaning or training), or careless care and storage. A dark coating on gold plating may appear due to interaction with household chemicals, cosmetics, certain medications, or due to contact with sweat or storage in a high humidity environment.

Therefore, if you want to keep silver and gold-plated items in their original form, do not forget to take care of them and clean them at least once every six months.

How to choose quality jewelry?

In order to choose the right product, you need to know some selection rules that will help you become the owner of high-quality jewelry:

If there is no hallmark or hallmark on the product, then it is unlikely that you will be offered to buy silver jewelry. Most likely this is gold-plated jewelry. Thus, manufacturers significantly reduce the price of the product, and when you buy this product, you receive a low-quality item that will be deformed.
It is best to give preference to a product made from 925 standard. It is much better quality and, accordingly, will delight you for many years.
Remember that the percentage of gilding should not be less than 40%. You can always ask the seller to tell you more about the product and show documents that would correspond to his words.

Lemon acid

It’s easy to prepare a composition that helps clean homemade gold-plated silver items.

Pour ½ liter of water into an enamel pan.
Add a packet of citric acid (15 g) to it.
Place the container on the fire and bring to a boil.
Place decorations in boiling liquid.
Boil them for 15-20 minutes.

Next, the products must be cooled and rinsed. This method is suitable for cleaning tarnished jewelry and gold-plated cutlery.

How to wear and store it correctly?

Many people are sure that the gilding wears off very quickly, and as a result, the jewelry is not as impressive as it was immediately after purchase. For example, if after a shower the jewelry began to quickly lose its appearance, then most likely you bought a fake. Real gold-plated silver cannot be damaged by water alone. If you know some rules and wear it correctly, your favorite jewelry will delight you for many years:

It is advisable not to shower if you are wearing earrings or a chain. Firstly, in this way the product will fade, since soapy water will do everything necessary for this. Secondly, after a shower you should not rub the product with a towel, as this can really ruin it. Therefore, when going to the shower, remove all jewelry.
It is also better not to wear jewelry while playing sports. When human sweat gets on gold-plated jewelry, it loses its appearance.
Store the product in a box. Try to keep it in a separate box and do not store jewelry all together, as they can scratch each other.

The decoration should be cleaned regularly, then it will last a long time. But it needs to be done correctly.
Do not store the product in the bathroom, as high humidity can quickly cause it to lose its shine.
Make it a rule: after everyday wear, wipe your jewelry with a piece of suede cloth. This will help keep the product clean and you won’t have to frequently clean it using more radical methods.

How to care for a rubber watch strap?

Rubber is easy to care for and does not require much effort from the owner. For such an accessory it will be enough if from time to time they wipe it with soapy water, rinse it in clean water and wipe it dry with a cloth.

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How to clean the product?

Cleaning jewelry at home is quite possible. The main thing is to know exactly how to do it correctly in order to restore its former shine and not spoil the product.

You can very easily clean tarnished gold plated items using baking soda, which is found in every home. To do this, you need to dissolve one or two teaspoons of soda in a glass of warm water, and then lower the product there. After half an hour, you can take out the jewelry. Rub it with a soft toothbrush and you will see the blackness and dullness go away. After this, you need to rinse it in running cold water and dry it. It is better to dry with a paper towel so as not to damage the gold plating.

By the way, since we are talking about a toothbrush, there is another effective method that helps get rid of stains and restore the shine of your jewelry. To do this, you will need not only a toothbrush, but also the toothpaste itself. Apply toothpaste to the surface of the product and carefully, with a very soft brush, rub all problem areas. High-quality gilding will not be damaged, and the product will once again shine with its magical shine.

If the gold plated item is a little tarnished and needs a little cleaning, just regular sugar will do the trick. Dissolve two tablespoons of sugar in a glass of warm water and place the decoration there. After three to four hours, take it out and rinse it in water. You will see: the product will become clean and shine as before.

Regular ammonia, which is in every home medicine cabinet, will help rid the jewelry of blackness and restore its shine. In a glass of water, preferably warm, dissolve one teaspoon of ammonia and add a couple of drops of detergent. This could be dishwashing liquid or just liquid soap. The product must be left in the liquid for at least one hour.

After this procedure, the jewelry will be shiny and clean again.

Sometimes gilded silver becomes covered with too dark and black spots, which seem impossible to remove. But, if you buy wine alcohol, you can easily clean the blackness from the product. Wet a soft sponge or cotton pad with this alcohol and wipe the product. No more stains!

Javel water and protein

Another effective remedy to help clean gold-plated items. Javel water can be purchased in specialized stores or marked as “White”. The sequence of actions is as follows:

beat 1 egg white - with a fork, whisk or mixer;
add 1.5 tbsp to it. l. "Whiteness" or Javel water;
Place the decoration into the resulting thick mixture;
gently rub the product with a sponge;
rinse.

How to create a bright image?

And now - a few tips that will help you complement your bright image and amaze everyone around with your beauty.

If you decide to wear, for example, a pendant made of silver with gold plated, then remember that you should only wear gold jewelry. Try not to combine gold with silver.

As a rule, fashionistas choose gold-plated pendants most often. Try to wear an outfit with a “V” shaped neckline, then your pendant will look great. Especially if your decoration is not too large and massive.

Try to wear earrings and pendants from the same set. This will make you look more impressive. If you chose earrings that are too large, then you should not choose a large pendant or pendant - it’s not beautiful.

If you are right-handed, then be sure to wear the bracelet on your right hand. It will be much more impressive. Also, try not to match your bracelet and watch together.

Gold-plated jewelry looks impressive with outfits in black, dark blue and green. These colors in clothing help jewelry to fully reveal its beauty.

For information on how to properly clean gold and silver, see below.

Despite the fact that gold-plated jewelry is not made of pure gold, it always looks elegant and aristocratic, emphasizing the good taste of its owner. But in order for such products to always have a bright appearance and not fade, they need to be properly looked after and cleaned in a timely manner.

Ammonia and soap

This method helps to quickly get rid of greenish stains that can appear on gold-plated silver items. Let's consider the procedure.

Add 1 tsp to a liter of warm water. soap (you can rub the bar on a fine grater or just take liquid).
Add ammonia to the resulting soapy liquid - 6 drops.
Mix the resulting solution.
Immerse the products in it for half an hour.
Rinse the silver.

The final stage is to polish the gilding with a suede cloth.

This substance helps to quickly and effortlessly remove stains from a gold-plated item without spoiling it. How to proceed?

Soak a sponge in alcohol.
Rub the product until completely clean.

Finally, you can also use a piece of suede, then the products will shine like new.

It's time to clean the gold plating!

The basis of gold-plated jewelry is silver coated with a layer of gold. As a rule, both precious metals can become dirty and tarnished over time, and therefore lose their attractiveness. This is especially true for gold-plated chains, the design of which consists of numerous links and rings. With constant contact with the body, they become clogged with dust and sebum, so they can change color or become stained.

Any gold plating is soft, so if used incorrectly or poorly cleaned, there is a risk of damaging the surface of gold-plated jewelry.

Special tips for cleaning gold-plated jewelry

Jewelers do not recommend cleaning jewelry yourself. Using strong detergents or a hard brush will damage the integrity of the gold plating layer. As a result, it will not be possible to restore such an accessory.

But if you still decide to clean your gold-plated chain at home, follow these tips:

products containing stones require special attention and care; when lowering them into the solution, you should not allow the gems to hit the edges of the container;
chains that combine gilding and ordinary metals should be cleaned separately and not according to general recipes - it is advisable to take them to a workshop to prevent oxidation of exposed areas;
Special jewelry cleaning products reduce the risk of damage to items when cleaning them at home.

Advice. If you have never had to clean gold-plated chains, it is advisable to entrust this work to a jeweler. So, for little money you will get a perfectly restored product that you can wear for many years without taking it off.

How to clean a gold-plated chain at home without harming the product?

There are several ways to add lost shine and restore the former beauty to gold-plated jewelry, each of which differs in composition, but the result is the same for all.

Special means

Professional cleaning of gold-plated chains at home using various special products will help quickly restore the chic appearance of any piece of jewelry. Moreover, the range of such cleaners is presented in different types. It can be:

solutions that will cope with plaque and other contaminants in just a couple of minutes;
specialized cloth wipes for polishing and cleaning. They have a soft base that does not scratch the surface;
paste for cleaning the most contaminated products. It presents no difficulties during operation and also guarantees long-term protection against tarnishing.

Before you begin cleaning, you must carefully study the composition of the product and also adhere to the instructions for use, since some substances can erase the gold plating or damage the surface of the jewelry.

Folk remedies

Sometimes it happens that you urgently need to clean a gold-plated chain, but there are no special tools or devices at hand. Then it’s worth resorting to traditional methods that will cope with cleaning and polishing no worse than special solutions, and the costs will be minimal.

The main methods for easy cleaning of gilding at home include:

wine alcohol - helps to quickly restore the shine of gold-plated jewelry, and is also suitable for regular cleaning of gold-plated jewelry. To carry out the procedure, you need to moisten the sponge in the liquid and pass it along the chain;
beer, especially dark varieties, removes any contamination from the surface of gold-plated products. To do this, soak the jewelry in a beer solution for a while, then rinse with running water, dry and polish with a soft cloth;

The time for soaking the chain in beer depends on the type and condition of the gilding.

egg white - can cope with any stains and quickly help restore the shine to a gold-plated product. For wiping, you can use either protein alone, moistening a sponge in it, or adding a small amount of white;

When working with bleach, you should wear special gloves, as the chemical solution can damage the skin of your hands.

soap - will remove any stains from the gilding and add a bright shine. The solution is prepared from soap, grated into pieces, and warm water. Place the jewelry in the liquid for any time, then rinse and rub with a dry soft cloth;
alcohol - removes grease stains and removes the green tint. The alcohol solution must be mixed with water, but you should not overexpose the gold-plated chains in it, as the coating may peel off;
Toothpaste is the most common cleaning method. It is necessary to use only toothpaste without dyes or tooth powder;

When applying toothpaste, you must use a soft kitchen sponge that will not damage the surface of the jewelry.

soda - when mixed with water, it cleans the product well from dirt, but is an aggressive agent, so when using, the gold-plated chain should be immersed in the solution for a short period of time, then rinsed and wiped;
vinegar - cleans well and adds shine to gilding. After soaking in a solution of vinegar and water, the jewelry should be rinsed thoroughly, as any remaining acid may damage the top layer.

After using any of the above cleaning methods, you need to rub the product with a soft cloth or natural suede. The further type of the chain and the quality of the work done depend on this process.

Hazardous cleaning products: use with caution

Soda solution

Dissolve 3 tablespoons of soda in 1 liter of hot water and soak the product in it until the water cools. After soaking, all that remains is to rinse it and wipe it with a cloth.

Attention! Do not rub gold-plated silver with soda solution or powder! Baking soda is an abrasive agent and can scratch the coating or completely erase it. After soaking, wipe the product dry with a cloth.

Potato

Raw potatoes will also help the gold-plated silver to get rid of dirt without damaging it. To do this, the product is rubbed with a raw potato tuber, rinsed with water and wiped with a soft cloth. Or you can soak the decoration for several hours in a container with water and raw potatoes, and then wipe with a cloth.

Important! You need to clean jewelry with stones very carefully. Leaving the stone in the cleaning solution for a long time may cause damage to the stone mount. Chains made of precious metals may have a clasp made of ordinary metal, which is also important to consider when cleaning them. Therefore, such products are not placed in the solution for a long time, but are simply wiped with it.

What do you need to know about foreign gilding?

Imported gold-plated products have slightly different markings. The most common sample designations are:

KGP – gold plating from 12 to 24 carats.
HGE is an electroplated finish measured in carats.
Goldmult is a German coating that indicates not only the markings, but also the thickness of the gold layer.

This knowledge will help you decide on the choice of imported gold-plated silver.