How to Clean Rose Gold Jewelry: Everything You Need To Know

November 17th, 2023 / Hetal M

If you are charmed with a rose gold engagement ring, or wear rose gold jewelry on an everyday basis, you have come to the right place to learn how to clean rose gold and care for it properly so it can always be pristine.

As with every piece of valuable jewelry, cleaning rose gold jewelry should be approached with care. The precious metal is formulated with gold, copper, and silver, all of which may react negatively to harsh cleaners or intense cleaning methods. We have outlined the best methods to show you how to clean rose gold so your jewelry can stay in tip-top shape.

How to Maintain Rose Gold Jewelry

Maintenance is key to jewelry that looks its best, and you want your jewelry to look its best, correct? This is especially true for engagement rings and wedding rings that are not only known for their sparkle and shine but also their incredible value. This prized possession deserves to be both on display and well taken care of. Cleaning rose gold and maintaining it properly will ensure it always shows off its best side and lasts for generations to come.

Polish it Regularly

When you wear jewelry all of the time, it can easily trap dirt and oil from using lotions, cooking, being outside, and more. The best way to avoid needing to clean your ring often is to wipe away everyday dirt and oils regularly. Use a dry polishing cloth often to rid your ring of natural build-up and maintain its radiance. When you do this, your ring will retain its beauty longer and require less maintenance over the years.

Clean it Every Few Months

No matter how often you polish your rose gold jewelry, there will be hard-to-reach crevices, tightly wound chains, and intricate settings that will require a deeper cleaning from time to time. To maintain your ring’s brilliance, enlist one of the methods below every few months to a year, and it will look good as new.

How to Clean a Rose Gold Ring

Cleaning with Soap & Water

If you’re looking for an easy and foolproof way how to clean a rose gold ring, look no further. A rose gold engagement ring, or any rose gold wedding ring can be cleaned with simple soap and water. Just follow the below steps:

1. Start by placing a soft cloth, hand towel, or paper towel in the bottom of a small bowl or glass. This will keep your ring from rolling around on the bottom of the container and potentially getting scratched.
2. Next, reach for a mild dish soap and combine it with warm water in the container. Drop your ring into the container and let it soak for 5-10 minutes. The dirtier your ring is, the longer you can let it soak, but a few minutes is often enough to rid a ring of everyday oils and dirt. You can use this method to wash multiple rose gold rings or diamond jewelry at once as well. Simply choose a container large enough to give each piece of jewelry its space.
3. After the time has passed, be sure to rinse the ring thoroughly. We highly recommend guarding any sink drains with a stopper or mesh drain cover to ensure your ring’s safety in case it slips through your fingers. In place of rinsing the ring underwater, you can also fill another small container with clean, warm water and swish the ring around until it’s free from soap and no longer feels slippery.
4. Once free from residue, dry your rose gold ring gently with a soft jewelry cleaning cloth or even an eyeglasses cloth. Using a soft cloth will ensure you don’t scratch the surface of the metal or snag any fabric on the setting or corners of the stones in the process.

Mild dish soap is perfectly safe for rose gold metal, precious gemstones, Nexus Diamond™ alternatives, and diamonds so you can clean your rose gold engagement ring worry-free.

Cleaning With Vinegar

Vinegar is another simple cleaning solution rose gold rings and other jewelry. While vinegar is safe to use on rose gold metal and diamonds, however, it is not suitable for porous stones such as pearls, opals, sapphires, and rubies. It’s also important to use only white distilled vinegar to clean your rose gold jewelry.

To clean your rose gold ring with vinegar, you’ll want to:

1. Reach for a small container with a lid.
2. Pour enough vinegar into the container to fully submerge your ring.
3. Add one teaspoon of salt at a time, stirring it in until it dissolves. When the salt is no longer dissolving, you have added enough.
4. Once your mixture is ready, drop your ring into the container for just a few seconds. The vinegar-salt mixture is powerful enough to remove dirt, grime, and tarnish in a mere matter of seconds, but it is also powerful enough to corrode the copper and rose gold if left in longer than a minute.
5. After the seconds have passed, immediately rinse your ring in lukewarm water or swish it in a bowl of fresh lukewarm water to rid it of any remaining vinegar.
6. Dry it with a gentle jewelry cleaning cloth and voilá, your ring will be as good as new.

You can keep the vinegar-salt solution on hand for a few months and use it whenever you notice your ring requires a good clean.

Professional Cleaning

The safest and most effective method to clean a rose gold engagement ring is to have it professionally cleaned. Most jewelers offer this service for free. They can often clean your ring in a matter of minutes, or you can drop it off and pick it up at a later date. Professional jewelers have high-tech equipment, typically using steam, that can provide your engagement ring with a powerful and deep clean that is also safe for metal and stones. While the cleaning methods described above are great and effective for at-home cleans, a professional clean is well worth a trip to the jewelry store once a year. As a bonus, all Diamond Nexus engagement rings include two Spa Days which includes thorough cleaning and polishing within the first year of purchase. Learn more here.

How To Clean Rose Gold Jewelry

For rose gold jewelry such as necklaces, bracelets, or diamond earrings, you can follow the same cleaning protocol as you would when cleaning a rose gold ring. Simply use mild soap and water, or a vinegar-salt solution for deeply dirty pieces that don’t contain porous stones.

Rose gold jewelry that can’t be easily cleaned with soap and water or vinegar, such as watches, which can’t be submerged underwater, require a bit of special attention. For these pieces, a specified rose gold jewelry cleaner is necessary. Typically, you can apply the cleaner with a cotton swab or soft cloth, but you can also use an ultra-soft toothbrush or makeup brush to clean hard-to-reach places.

After using the rose gold-safe cleaner as directed, wipe it away with a soft, damp cloth, and dry it with a jewelry polishing cloth.

Rose Gold Jewelry Cleaning FAQs

Should You Use an Ultrasonic Cleaner?

There are many fancy at-home jewelry cleaners that use technology and chemicals to give jewelry a deep clean. These ultrasonic cleaners, however, aren’t suitable for use on rose gold jewelry. The chemicals can react with the copper in rose gold and cause the finish to change, while the rapid movement around the cleaner’s chamber can scratch the metal’s surface. While safe for metals such as sterling silver, ultrasonic cleaners should not be used to clean rose gold jewelry.

How Do You Clean Rose Gold Plated Jewelry?

Rose gold plating is far more sensitive than real rose gold jewelry such as 14k and 18k rose gold, which is made from pure gold and metal alloys. Learning about the durability of rose gold composition is important when making decisions about 14K rose gold vs 18K rose gold or rose gold plating.  Plating is a thin coating of rose gold on top of another metal such as silver or copper that can easily wear away and will wear away over time.

In order to make rose gold plating last as long as possible, it’s important to clean it carefully and avoid things that can cause it to fade more quickly. Wipe down rose gold plated jewelry after every wear with a soft jewelry cloth to both remove oil and dirt that can cause it to fade and restore its shine.

Remember to remove rose gold plated jewelry before you go to bed, dip in a chlorine hot tub, or swim in the ocean, as extended contact with your skin, chemicals in chlorine, and saltwater can all cause rose gold plating to tarnish and fade more quickly.

How Do You Clean Tarnished Rose Gold?

You can remove rose gold tarnish with a simple vinegar and salt wash as described above. The vinegar and salt create a chemical reaction that will remove the tarnish and leave your rose gold jewelry looking as good as new.

When Does Rose Gold Jewelry Need to Be Cleaned?

You will know your jewelry needs to be cleaned when it appears dull or lackluster. It may also actually look dirty and you may even see dirt or grime built up in the crevices of an engagement ring’s setting or the twists of a bracelet.

As with any piece of jewelry, rose gold jewelry should be treated with care. When you follow these simple steps to maintain and clean your rose gold engagement ring or other rose gold jewelry, you will be able to admire its beauty all of the time.

Sources
https://www.wikihow.com/Clean-Rose-Gold
https://www.whowhatwear.com/how-to-clean-plated-jewelry/slide3

*Here at Diamond Nexus, we strive to provide valuable information while being clear and honest about our products. The Nexus Diamond™ alternative is a patented lab-created diamond simulation that, among all simulants, most closely imitates the look, weight, and wear of a diamond, with two exceptions – it is perfect in every way, and it costs significantly less. Price points and environmental facts expressed in this blog were taken from popular online retailers and may vary. Learn more about the environmental impact of mining by visiting our blog.