How to clean white gold

A. Boil them in water and a few drops of dish washing detergent and dry and rub them gently with a soft cloth. If you wear them regularly and take a shower with them they won't turn dull.

A. Eileen / Ehrin:
I have read here and there that some gemstones like diamonds are hearty enough that you don't have to worry about chemical attack when ultrasonically cleaning in a jewelry cleaning solution, and that might be better than boiling -- but I have no actual expertise in that and suggest that you contact a jeweler for guidance before risking anything. Plus opals are probably not as robust, and I've recently seen jewelry with warnings that the stones are "coated"; I don't buy "coated" stones, but others might. And never drop jewels into boiling water; if you're going to boil them, suspend them in an empty tea bag or from a string in cool water and let them heat slowly.

Eileen again / Juliet:
Rhodium plating must be done by a plating shop or a jeweler. it is an electroplating process, it's not a simple dip. The rhodium is brilliant "white" and most white gold these days is rhodium plated. It will eventually wear, but if a good job is done and if the repaired item isn't dark yellow, you could get good enough life to satisfy you I think.

A. I am retired however my knowledge regarding Watches (Antique & Vintage) is thought of as considerable as is Precious Metal Antiques.

Firstly all Gold is Yellow. I shudder at the thought of some of the suggestions made here however well meaning. One must never boil, or treat with harsh chemicals, powder or domestic cleaners; this only serves to cause and need more attention. Seek the advice of your local watchmaker or jeweler after all they are the experts -- better still get them to do the service and cleaning for you -- you will find it pays you in the long run to do so.
May you all have good health
regards MAC

Thanks for the advice, Ian. Indeed pure 24 karat gold is always yellow; there are no white isotopes. However, much if not most gold jewelry today is white -- because nickel or palladium has been alloyed with the gold as a bleaching agent to make a 10 to 14 karat alloy that is white in color. If you would tell us not to call the jewelry white gold, as it has been called for decades, what would you have us call it? Thanks.

Readers may wish to see our FAQ: Rhodium Plating and White Gold.

A. Hi, Sandra.

Nobody suggested baking soda on this particular thread so it's hard to know exactly you are referring to. But there is a technique mentioned on this site for converting tarnish on silver, with baking soda dissolved in warm water, and a sheet of aluminum as reducing agent. It should not lead to baking soda drying and hardening on the ring, but neither is it actually a cleaner. If the jewelers suggestion of ammonia doesn't solve the problem of areas that you can't reach, get an ultrasonic jewelry cleaning machine. This vibrates the watery cleaning solution to give a strong scrubbing action to areas that you can't reach to scrub. Good luck.

Regards,

A. Please use nothing stronger than a mild soap and a soft cloth or soft toothbrush on your opals. Also, never heat them. Many other stones must be treated with such loving care. Coated stones, such as the "Mystic..." types shouldn't be rubbed with anything other than a soft cloth - and then not often. Once the coating is worn off in a spot you have no reasonable recourse other than to have another stone set in your item of jewelry. Generally, only diamonds, rubies and sapphires can withstand harsh cleaning chemicals, and steaming. It is possible to have problems with some of them, as well, depending on what treatments may have been applied to them. Quartz gems, such as amethyst and citrine attract oil and grease readily, and must be cleaned regularly. Diamonds also attract oils, which dull them quickly, robbing them of "life". Note, ionic cleaners are touted as being safe and effective for all gems, including opals.

White gold turns dull due to oxidation of the nickel in the alloy. To prevent this oxidation, a plating of rhodium is commonly applied. When you notice your jewelry beginning to lose its luster even after cleaning, take it to a jeweler and they can easily apply a new coating. Never, ever wear your gold jewelry when using cleaners than contain bleach, as it will make the metal brittle and cause it to crack. This is not remediable.

A. Hi Jear. I wouldn't have expected baking soda to lighten a solid yellow gold ring.

Richard Feynman

But remember the words of Richard Feynman:
"It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart you are. If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong."

Regards,

A. Not to the gold itself, but 14kt means an alloy of gold with other metals. Maybe the baking soda removed a patina layer and that affected the color.

Good thinking, Ray. Removing a thin dark tarnish would amount to making the color lighter.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
November 2016

A. Hello Terea, ultrasonic cleaning is a straight forward process. The jewelry store is responsible for their mistake and should bring the rings back to the previous condition. It sounds to me that someone had a different cleaning solution in the ultrasonic machine. If they left it in a normal cleaning solution too long wouldn't have that effect. There is no current entering the ultrasonic device, just vibration. Not much to go wrong there. Next time you may want to buy your own cleaner and follow the instructions.