How to Clean Diamond Earrings

Co-authored by Kennon Young

Last Updated: February 26, 2023 References Approved

Diamond earrings become dull and dirty through frequent wear. They pick up oil from your skin and hair, causing the metal to become worn and the stones to lose their luster. Luckily, many home products will restore the shine to your diamond earrings. For more intense grime, consider having your earrings professionally cleaned.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Home Cleaning

1
Use dish soap. If you don’t have a jewelry cleaning kit, you can make your own solutions with many different home cleaning products. You can use regular dish soap to clean the dirt and oils off diamond earrings.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Kennon Young
Master Gemologist Appraiser
Expert Interview. 11 September 2019.}
- Mix together 1 cup of lukewarm water with 1 teaspoon of mild dish soap. Stir the water with your fingers until you see bubbles. Make sure the dish soap doesn’t have perfume or dye in it or it could damage the earrings. Soak the earrings for three to four minutes, so that any dirt or oil loosens up.
- Then take a soft toothbrush and wet it in the mixture. Softly brush the diamonds. Let the earrings soak another 1-2 minutes. Then remove the earrings, and place them on a paper towel. Take a bowl of clear water and rinse the earrings off. Don’t rinse them under a faucet or you might lose them down the drain.
2
Try Windex. There are many different household products that you can use to clean diamond earrings. Windex works, too. Or you could soak the earrings in mild liquid detergent. Pick one with sodium lauryl ether sulfate.
- Spray a toothbrush with Windex. Then, brush the diamonds softly. ^{[2]
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- Be careful and use a small, soft brush. Then, rinse the earrings with water and wipe them dry with a soft cloth.
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3
Use ammonia. It sounds like it might be too harsh, but it's one of the most common ways to clean diamond earrings.
- Mix one part ammonia with six parts of hot water. Do not use hot water, though, if there are other gems in the setting. It could damage them. Put the earrings in the solution for 20 minutes. Use rubber gloves with this solution.
- Next, put the earrings into another bowl with warm water. Add a teaspoon of dish soap to the bowl. Scrub the earrings with a soft toothbrush or jewelry brush. Rinse the earrings in warm water. ^{[3]
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4
Soak the earrings in club soda. You can make your diamonds – and other gems – look brighter if you soak them overnight in club soda.
- Simply fill a glass full of club soda, and then put diamonds or other gems (like rubies and sapphires) in the glass. Let it sit overnight.
- Another technique involves using a denture tablet to give your diamonds some sparkle. Put the tablet into a cup of water, and then put your diamond earrings into the cup for several minutes. Then, rinse the jewelry. ^{[4]
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- Remove any noticeable clumps of dirt or cloth fibers. Carefully use a toothpick to remove dirt lodged in between the metal prongs and the diamond. Gently remove any cloth fibers that get stuck in the setting using tweezers.
5
Try soap and water for a simple solution to a little oil or grime. If you don't have anything else on hand, you can try the obvious: Soap and water.
- Combine 1 part mild dishwashing detergent with 3 parts warm water in a small bowl. Dip a soft bristle toothbrush, soft cloth, or cotton swab into the soap mixture.
- Gently scrub the stone and the metal backing. Alternatively, you can soak your diamond earrings in this solution up to 30 minutes.
- Remove the earrings after soaking them and rinse them under warm water. Dry and polish the earrings with a lint free cloth.
6
Try Vodka. Soak your earrings in vodka if no other materials are around.
- Fill a shot glass with vodka. Drop your earrings into the glass and let them soak for a minute or two. Remove the earrings and rinse under warm water.
- Dry and polish them with a lint free cloth.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Protecting your Diamond Earrings

1
Don’t wear diamond earrings all the time. It’s easier to clean diamond earrings if you don’t get them very dirty in the first place. So, it’s a good idea to remove them for activities that could dirty them such as going to the beach, playing sports, gardening, and even washing dishes.
- Keep diamond earrings away from chlorine bleach. It can cause them damage.
- Natural oils can leave a coating on diamond jewelry that needs removing to restore the earrings to their proper brilliance. Contact with skin, lotions, powders, and soaps can leave such a film.
- Put your earrings on last, after you style your hair and put on perfume and lotion. All of these products can damage the earrings, so reduce the exposure.
2
Properly store your earrings. Diamond earrings will incur less wear and tear if you store them properly. That means you shouldn’t just toss them in a drawer. Diamonds are almost impossible to scratch – unless it’s with another diamond.
- Thus, you shouldn’t store them right next to each other because the diamonds can scratch each other.
- Avoid touching the earrings too much. The hands contain body oils that can turn diamonds dull. ^{[5]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Gemological Institute of America
  Nonprofit institute responsible for gemological research and education and setting gemstone buying and selling standards
  Go to source}
3
Insure them. Sometimes your home owner’s or rental insurance will cover lost or stolen jewelry. Check your policy. If they aren’t covered, it might be a good idea to change your policies to cover the earrings.
- Whether this is worth it depends on how much the earrings cost, of course, or whether they have great sentimental value.
- Do your homework, and compare different companies before choosing an insurance plan. Remember to check the deductible.
4
Get your earrings checked. A certified jeweler will spot flaws in your earrings that you won’t. So it’s a good idea to get the earrings checked out if you want the diamonds to retain their shine.
- You want to make sure that the diamond’s prongs are not loose, or you could lose the diamond.
- You should have your diamonds checked out by a certified jeweler once or twice a year.
5
Consider having your earrings professionally cleaned.
- Ask your local jewelers if they offer an ultrasonic or ionic cleaning for diamond jewelry. Many will only charge a nominal fee for such services.
- Search for a jeweler that offers sulfuric acid cleaning if you have extremely dirty diamond earrings that you cannot clean any other way. Sulfuric acid boils are still relatively inexpensive but cost a little more than ultrasonic cleanings. They can damage jewelry if not done properly.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Cleaning Gold or Silver Backings

1
Remove tarnish from silver or gold. To remove tarnish from silver, you can also use household products.
- Take ¼ of a cup of baking soda and mix it with 2 tablespoons (29.6 ml) of water into a thick paste. Take a damp sponge, and rub it on the silver, then rinse it, and dry it.
- You can also use baking soda to polish gold by covering the gold with a light coating of it. Then, pour vinegar over it, and rinse it.
- You can make gold shine more if you put a little bit of beer on a piece of towel and then rub it over the jewelry.
- Believe it or not, but you can also put silver in ketchup to make it brighter. Put the jewelry in the ketchup only for a few minutes.
2
Use baking soda. This will remove built-up tarnish on earrings with silver backings or to polish earrings with gold backings.
- For silver earrings, combine 1/4 of cup baking soda with 2 tablespoons (29.6 ml) of water in a small bowl. Dip a damp sponge into the baking soda mixture.
- Carefully rub the baking soda mixture on the metal backing of each earring. Dry and polish the earrings with a lint free cloth. For gold earrings, cover the backing with a light coating of baking soda. Carefully pour a small amount of vinegar over the backing.
- Rinse clean with water. Dry and polish the earrings with a lint free cloth.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Getting the Right Equipment

1
Buy a jewelry cleaning kit. These kits contain solution designed for cleaning earrings. They are specifically designed for cleaning earrings, so you will know the product won't harm your jewelry.
- Find a special cleaning solution at a jewelry store, state fair, department store, drugstore, or multipurpose store. Look at the instructions on the back of the bottle to ensure that the solution is safe for diamond jewelry.
- Pour a small amount of this solution into a bowl. Soak your earrings in the solution overnight. Rinse the earrings with warm water. Dry and polish with a lint free cloth. Follow the instructions on the back of bottle instead of those listed above, if they differ.
2
Get the right brush and cloth. You need to use a brush that has soft bristles. This is really important. If you use too harsh of a brush, it could damage the jewelry. And you need a cloth that will clean the earrings gently.
- All you need is a toothbrush, but pick one with soft bristles.^{[6]
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  Expert Source
  
  Kennon Young
  Master Gemologist Appraiser
  Expert Interview. 11 September 2019.} Make sure you don’t use a wire brush or a brush with harsh bristles, as this could damage the setting.
- A child’s toothbrush would be a good choice because the bristles are really soft. You can also buy brushes specially designed for cleaning jewelry online or in stores.
- Don't fall for the tip that you should use toothbrush to clean the jewelry, though. It can be too abrasive. There are better household products to use. ^{[7]
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- Use a microfiber hand towel to dry the earrings. These are softer and will help you clean the earrings gently.
- You also want to make sure you only use soft bristles on earrings with gold settings. If your diamond has a fragile setting or is an antique, you might want to skip the brush completely. ^{[8]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Gemological Institute of America
  Nonprofit institute responsible for gemological research and education and setting gemstone buying and selling standards
  Go to source}^{[9]
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  Research source}
3
Pick a flat surface. You don’t want to clean diamond earrings near the sink or chances are pretty good your earrings could end up in the drain. You think it won't happen, but ask any plumber: It often does!
- Choose a table instead or any flat surface that is not near a sink. You need enough space for a bowl and towel.
- You will also need a bowl or cup to put the earrings in. You may want to use rubber gloves, depending on the toxicity of the solution you choose.

Expert Q&A
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Question

What is the best way to clean diamond jewelry?

Kennon Young
Master Gemologist Appraiser
Kennon Young is a Master Gemologist Appraiser and the Owner of Vermont Gemological Laboratory in Burlington, Vermont. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Kennon and his team specialize in handmade engagement rings, wedding bands, and custom jewelry. He attended the Revere Academy of Jewelry Arts, the Gemological Institute of America, and the Rhode Island School of Design Extension. He is a Jewelers of America (JA) Certified Bench Jeweler Technician and received the highest credential in the jewelry appraisal industry, the ASA Master Gemologist Appraiser, in 2016.

Kennon Young

Master Gemologist Appraiser

Expert Answer

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Make sure you clean the pavilion, or the underside of the stone, in addition to the top. Jewelry that's well made will have holes in the back of the setting so you can access the underside of the stone. If your jewelry doesn't, you'll want to take it to a professional jeweler to have it cleaned.