How to clean pearl beads. How to clean pearls: delicate jewelry

The gemstone should be handled very carefully. Any unsuccessful attempt to wash it can turn out disastrously. Every woman who has this jewel in her collection has at least once wondered how to clean pearls at home.

Pearls have always been popular among the fair half of humanity. There is nothing imperfect about this stone. It’s hard to get used to the idea that pearls were created by the depths of the sea, because this wonder of the world has been attracting humanity with its beauty for centuries. Currently, they have learned to cultivate the stone, so not all of it is natural. But this does not mean that there is less beauty and splendor in it. Jewelry with this design is popular among ladies from high society. One has only to look at the stars of yesteryear and today: Marilyn Monroe, Cameron Diaz, Milla Jovovich, Elizabeth Taylor.

There are three types of pearls:

• natural, created by the sea;
• cultivated, in conditions close to marine ones;
• artificially grown (freshwater).

When a grain of sand enters the shell, the oyster begins to produce special substances that coat it. It is the layers of these substances that create the shine of mother-of-pearl.

“Sea stone” does not tolerate acids and ammonia. It has high impact resistance, but can be damaged if it hits other jewelry.

On the Moss scale, the hardness of a marine formation (resistance to damage) is rated from 3 to 4. While the same indicator for house dust is 7. Therefore, wiping a stone with a dry cloth means causing irreparable harm to it.

Pearls, after several years, lose their original color - they become cloudy. This happens because the gem contains only 2% liquid. Because of this, at high temperatures it dries out, exfoliates, and at high humidity it becomes faded and dull. A very whimsical gem.

But there are some rules that will help protect it from loss of beauty. But first you need to know what you should never do with pearl jewelry:

1. Clean with a toothbrush. This item has a hard coating that will ruin the surface of the stone. Cleaning with detergents, soda, and vinegar is also not allowed.
2. Spray the decoration with perfume or eau de toilette. If these perfumes come into contact with the surface of the necklace, the color of the pearls will turn reddish.
3. Take a bath in them.

How to clean pearls at home

There are important rules to follow when handling pearl jewelry. Dirt from the stone can be removed using a soap solution and a cotton pad. The first is done with soap and warm water. Before cleaning the sea formation, the disk is moistened in warm water: the necklaces are wiped with it. If a girl has earrings or rings, then they need to be left in a soapy solution for a couple of minutes, and then wiped with a cotton pad.

High-quality olive oil will also help restore your pearl jewelry to its former beauty. Apply two or three drops of olive oil to a cotton pad and wipe the jewelry with it. To prevent the product from remaining greasy, remove any remaining oil using a dampened paper napkin. Do not use other types of oils when cleaning. They will not help in whitening the formation, but greasy marks will remain.

Potato starch is a good helper for giving a gemstone its former beauty without leaving home. You should take a velvet cloth, pour a little powder into it and wipe the decoration.

If the product has become dull because there are many traces of grease on it, you can bring it back to life using the method below.

A teaspoon of table salt is poured into the linen fabric. Then pearls are placed in it. The stone should be wrapped in a cloth and placed in warm water. You need to rinse the fabric there until the salt is completely dissolved. Then take it out and dry it. Do not rub the sea formation with salt - it will spoil! If the jewelry is strung on a thread, it cannot be cleaned in the described way: water will cause the thread to become thinner and break.

Advice! Removes stubborn stains well...your own nail! It has a hardness similar to mother-of-pearl, so there will be no scratches from such an execution!

A good “folk remedy” is potato flour. You need to put the pearls in a jar of flour and shake it for two to three minutes.

Then, leave the decoration there for a day, and then shake it again. The next day, you can remove the stone and wear it in its original form, not forgetting to first wipe off any remaining flour from it with a cloth.

Preserving pearls in their original form

The tips listed were about how to restore a product to its former beauty when it has already been lost. What if you don’t want your pearls to spoil at all? And is the housewife ready to regularly care for her jewelry using special cleaning products? After each wearing, the pearl product must be wiped with a soft cloth. This is done so that no traces of sebum remain on the jewelry, which softens the coating of the stone, making it more fragile. Therefore, every lady who is going to wear pearls for any event should be advised to first do a make-up, then wash her hands with soap and only then put on the jewelry.

You should not swim or play sports while wearing pearl jewelry. In the first case, chlorine, which is added to the pool, will have a detrimental effect on the mother-of-pearl, in the second, sweat will begin to corrode the surface of the pearls.

The gemstone is not worn under coarse wool sweaters or coats. From these wardrobe items, small cracks form on it.

And pearls are an organic formation, therefore, due to the lack of this element, they lose their beauty.

Storing jewelry for a long time in the light has a detrimental effect on mother-of-pearl.

With beads on a thread you need to do the following: separate each bead with a knot. Then the pearls will not touch each other and, as a result, scratch.

When storing, pearl jewelry should be stored separately from other jewelry. It is better if the sea stone is wrapped in a velvet cloth.

Thanks to these simple tips, the beauty and shine of pearls will never deteriorate!

Conclusion

Pearls are very fragile and not resistant to damage, so they must be properly cared for. Every woman who chooses a pearl product as jewelry should remember that the stone should be taken care of daily. If not, the decoration will lose its beauty in less than a year.

Pearls, like nothing else, emphasize our femininity. But caring for it must be timely and competent. I want to tell you about my proven methods that will teach you how to care for exquisite stone with your own hands.

Precautionary measures: 7 prohibitions

To begin with, it is worth remembering that natural pearls are a very delicate piece of jewelry. Before you clean your pearl beads, you need to learn a number of rules. Simple precautions will help you prevent cracking, delamination, discoloration and deterioration of the stone.

You should not experiment and use cleaning methods that do not have the best effect on the stone, otherwise the mineral will be irrevocably damaged:

Image	Description
	Ban 1 Do not use hard sponges, graters, or brushes.
	Ban 2 You cannot clean pearls with soda or other powdery products - you will scratch the peas.
	Ban 3 Hydrogen peroxide has a detrimental effect on mother-of-pearl stones.
	Ban 4
	Ban 5 Acetic acid corrodes the pearlescent shine of pearls.
	Ban 6 Pearl jewelry should not be allowed to come into contact with splashes of perfume or eau de toilette.
	Ban 7 Hot water will irrevocably damage the pearl peas.

Cleaning pearls at home

Cleaning capricious pearls at home is easy if you handle them with the utmost care. If you store the mineral correctly, it will only be enough to renew it and return it to its former luster.

Method 1: soap solution

First, let's look at the simplest method - cleaning in a soapy solution. We will need natural shampoo, baby or liquid soap.

Do the following:

1. Prepare a weak soap solution.
2. Gently wipe each bead with a swab dipped in soapy water. If you are cleaning a brooch, ring or earrings, soak the items in soapy water for a few minutes.
3. Gently wipe the peas dry, removing any soap residue on the surface.

Available materials: 3 effective means

Is your jewelry attacked not only by dust, but also by other dirt? I’m ready to tell you how to clean pearls at home and remove difficult stains using available products:

Image	Recommendations
	Method 1: Olive oil Use fresh, high-quality oil: Apply the oil to a cotton pad (literally a few drops). Rub the jewelry gently. Remove any remaining olive oil using a soft paper towel. Do not use other oils - they will not only not clean the stone, but will also provide it with an indelible greasy coating.
	Method 2: Fine table salt Take a soft cloth prepared in advance for cleaning pearls. Sprinkle a pinch of salt on it. Wrap the decoration in fabric. Rinse off the salt with warm water until it dissolves. Do not wash off the salt under a large stream of water - this can damage the structure of the pearls. Dry the decoration.
	Method 3. Potato starch My personal experience confirms that this particular product will rid pearl beads of even the most stubborn stains: Pour the powder onto a prepared soft cloth. Wrap the pearls in it and carefully treat each stone. Wipe the beads to remove any excess starch.

Jewelry pastes: 2 best products

I also have a method in my arsenal for the most stubborn stains. Cleaning pearls will become easier if you have the opportunity to purchase a special jewelry paste:

1. Apply a small amount to a clean, soft cloth.
2. Gently rub the peas.
3. Polish the pearls until they shine.
4. Wrap in a soft cloth in which to store the beads until next use.

Before using the product, carefully read the “instructions” section - the active substance of the paste in increased doses can harm the pearls.

Image	Means
	Talisman Price: from 180 rubles Advantages: gently dissolves dirt; returns shine; thanks to the caring components included in the product, it prolongs the life of pearls and mother-of-pearl; protects beads from drying out and delamination.
	SILBO Price: from 800 rubles Advantages: carefully cleans the surface of the stone; removes internal contamination from the structure of soft stones; returns the original shine and depth of color to the product; is completely washed off without any residue after cleaning pearl jewelry; prevents further fading of peas; acts quickly and gently.

Summary

If you haven’t fully figured out how to clean pearl beads at home, watch the video in this article, where a diamond salon consultant clearly presented all the secrets of caring for and cleaning pearls. I look forward to your questions and suggestions in the comments.

A luxurious pearl necklace may fade or yellow over time. Jewelry loses its luster and color as a result of improper storage or care. But it is possible to correct the situation. In this case, it is not necessary to take the products to the jewelry store. It is enough to use home methods. How to bleach pearls?

Cleaning pearls using improvised means

How to whiten pearls at home? To do this, you will need water, liquid soap, shampoo or another mild product that does not contain abrasive substances. A bath is prepared from these components. Products are lowered into the prepared solution.

Pearls should not be rubbed with brushes or other devices.

It will begin to disintegrate and collapse.

If the whiteness has not returned, then take the soap and beat it into foam. Treat each bead with this gentle mousse. At the end of the procedure, rinse all products with clean water. Gently wipe the pearls with a damp cloth. All that remains is to dry the decorations. To do this, lay the products on a soft cloth. You cannot hang a string of pearls to dry. This method helps eliminate yellowness on stones and restore the shine of mother-of-pearl.

For the second method, you will need finely ground salt and water. Jewelry is placed in a soft fabric bag. Next add salt, 1 teaspoon is enough. Next, the bag is lowered into the water. You need to dissolve the salt. To do this, move the bag around in the liquid. Once all the salt has dissolved, take out the beads. No need to wipe, just air dry. Do not rub salt on pebbles. There will be scratches that will be impossible to get rid of.

Gold ring with diamonds and pearls, SL;(price on the link) gold earrings with diamonds and pearls, SL;(price on the link)

The third method is similar in implementation to the previous two. Citric acid is used only as a cleaner. If you take a pearl necklace, be careful with the thread. It will break due to the effects of citric acid. After cleaning the pearls, replace the old thread.

Gray plaque on jewelry can be removed using potato starch. Pour it onto a soft cloth and wrap it around it. It is allowed to lightly rub the beads. The powder will remove dirt and make the jewelry white.

How to restore shine to pearls?

After you get rid of the yellowness, inspect the pearls. Often the beads remain dull, without mother-of-pearl. You can restore the shine to pearl earrings and rings using the products that are at hand:

1. Rub each bead with egg white, rinse with water after 2 hours.

2. Apply olive oil to the cotton wool. Then wipe each pebble. Other vegetable fats cannot be used. Remove any remaining oil using a napkin.

Home methods do not help if the yellowness has penetrated deep into the stones. In this case, resort to a professional procedure - cleaning the pearls by a jeweler. Craftsmen treat products with hydrochloric acid.

Don't settle for abrasive or ultrasonic cleaning

Such methods are detrimental to natural pearls.

How to prevent darkening of pearls?

The best method for cleaning jewelry is to prevent it from yellowing or tarnishing. To do this, follow these rules:
keep pearls away from sunlight; prolonged contact of products with water is not allowed;
periodically remove pearls from the box and put them on;
gold earrings with pearls, rings or beads;
put on jewelry after 10 minutes. after applying makeup;
Do not allow the necklace to remain in a dry or excessively damp room for a long time.

The capriciousness of pearls is explained by their organic origin. The mother-of-pearl coating of the pebbles is thanks to mollusks that secrete a special substance. It is not strong enough and prone to destruction. But there are also pleasant sides. Pearls are a mineral that can be cleaned at home without the use of complex products or equipment.

Pearls are the first stone that was used as jewelry in ancient times. Since then, little has changed: mother-of-pearl beads are loved and appreciated by women of all ages for their beauty and vibrant shine. But this capricious stone, like a person, gets sick, grows old and even dies. Therefore, proper care for it is very important.

How to help pearls maintain beauty and health

Born in the water element in a mollusk shell, pearls are 10% water. It is not for nothing that in some cultures it is considered alive. Like any living creature, it is sensitive to the external environment and requires careful treatment.

Types and characteristics of pearls - video

Enemies of the stone

Ignorance of the characteristics of pearls can lead to a change in color, loss of shine, clouding, and sometimes even death.

1. Vinegar and other acids. There is a legend that Cleopatra, at a feast with Mark Antony, dissolved a pearl in vinegar and drank the drink. History is silent about how this affected the queen’s health. But it is a fact that acid dissolves pearls. He is afraid even of its fumes. Remove decorations before cooking or canning with vinegar.
2. Any aggressive household chemicals are detrimental to pearls. Avoid contact with strong alkali, ammonia, peroxide, solvents, chlorine.
3. The soft surface of pearls is easy to scratch, so you should avoid contact with sharp objects in every possible way. It is not recommended to wear a pearl necklace over clothes made of coarse wool. Even soft abrasives such as soda and fine salt should not be used for cleaning.
4. Pearls need moisture, but in moderation. From its excess, pearls swell and fade, and mold may even appear. Be sure to remove jewelry before taking a shower or bath, especially before going to the bathhouse. Water combined with high temperature is detrimental to pearls, and dry air makes them brittle and brownish.
5. Cosmetics - creams, lipsticks, perfumes, hair sprays - harm pearls. Put on jewelry last after applying makeup, hairspray, perfume, or eau de toilette.
6. Delicate stones do not like to sunbathe, preferring cool shade to the sun's rays.

Now it is impossible to buy pearls found by divers in the depths of the sea: their extraction has long been prohibited. The one sold in jewelry stores is grown on pearl farms. But this does not make the stone artificial, because a person only helps slightly by placing a grain of sand or a piece of mother-of-pearl into the shell.

How to pamper your pearls

Take jewelry into your hands more often, sort through the pearls, put it on and walk it. Pearls love human contact, imbuing them with energy and skin moisture. This makes them come alive and begin to shine.

Pearls need human contact

Pearls reveal all their beauty precisely when in contact with young skin, because with age it loses moisture, which is so necessary for the stone. It is not for nothing that in the old days in Rus', unmarried girls were allowed to wear only pearl jewelry, as a symbol of purity and purity.

Young skin imbues pearls with essential moisture

If your skin is very dry, choose framed jewelry.

How to store pearls

Revived from foam: cleaning pearls

Like any jewelry, items with pearls need regular cleaning. Make it a rule that when you remove jewelry, wipe it with a dry or damp lint-free cloth.

Soap bath for sissy

If the pearls have become dull, yellowed and have a coating on them, wash them with clean water. For severe stains, you will need a mild soap with a low alkali content, baby soap is suitable. This method is safe for any type of pearls: sea, river, artificial.

Products with gold and silver frames also require cleaning of the metal. Gold and rhodium-plated silver do not darken or oxidize in air. Simply wash them with soapy water. Non-rhodic material does not have a protective coating, darkens and oxidizes upon contact with the skin and requires careful cleaning.

Gold jewelry with pearls just need to be washed in soapy water.

It is important to clean your jewelry without damaging the pearls.

How to properly clean pearls with salt

If a soap and foam bath does not help, use salt.

1. Place the decoration in a white napkin and sprinkle with fine salt. You can't rub it, but you don't have to.
2. Tie the napkin into a tight knot.
3. Place it in a bowl of cool water and rinse until the salt dissolves.
4. Rinse the product with clean water and dry.

This procedure will cleanse the silver and make it shine, and the moist shimmer will return to the pearl, because it was born in salt water. Sometimes pamper your sea pearls with salt baths, they will be grateful to you.

Silver jewelry with pearls are cleaned with salt

Cleaning pearls with starch

Use potato starch to remove excess moisture, sebum and dirt from pearls. Just sprinkle the stones with this substance and then wipe them with a velvet cloth.

Starch is used to clean pearls from excess moisture and dirt.

If you are not satisfied with the results of home cleaning, it is better to take your jewelry to a jeweler. It will carefully clean the products, taking into account the characteristics of metal and pearls. You should not experiment on your own, even with professional jewelry cleaning products: the result can be disastrous.

What not to use to clean pearls

Everything that pearls are afraid of cannot be used to cleanse them:

• acids;
• household chemicals;
• solvents;
• peroxide, ammonia, oils;
• any abrasives;
• ultrasonic bath.

Some sources advise using acid's ability to dissolve nacre to restore shine to pearls. This method can destroy the decoration irrevocably. Recommendations to clean pearls with olive oil are also questionable. After all, fats are one of the elements that harm mother of pearl.

The cleaning rules are the same for sea and river stone. But artificial ones require special care. After all, the layer of mother-of-pearl applied to a glass or plastic bead is much thinner than that of natural pearls. This means it is easier to damage.

Love your pearls, treat them with care, like you would a capricious but helpless child. And it will answer you with a gentle glow and will delight you for many years.

Pearl jewelry is popular among women and has remained so for many years. These round stones from the seabed are perfect in their beauty, but to maintain it you definitely need to take care of your jewelry. In this article we will talk about how to clean pearl jewelry at home, consider the most effective and simple methods, and talk about storing such things.

A girl wearing a stunningly beautiful necklace

A few words about pearls

Even during the times of Ancient civilizations, jewelry served not only as body jewelry. They acted as a monetary equivalent, a means of exchanging goods. Pearls are the most expensive representative of precious materials, because long before they learned how to process them, various magical properties were attributed to them. Pearl jewelry is still considered a symbol of wealth, prosperity, and durability.

Pearl catchers in myths and fairy tales were seen as such romantics, capable of conquering any woman’s heart. This is due to the indescribable beauty of the natural mineral (to be precise, pearls are not a mineral, but they contain aragonite, which is one).

Pearls are round-shaped formations that develop in the shells of some mollusks when grains of sand or small organisms get inside. If a foreign body is purposefully inserted into the shell, then the resulting pearl is considered cultured. Both natural and cultured pearls are used in jewelry.

Jewels from the depths of the sea

Cleaning pearl jewelry, like other jewelry, is necessary for several reasons:

• Plaques of dust, dirt or grease hide the true beauty of the product.
• Aggressive environmental influences have a destructive effect on pearls. As a result, it may lose its unique pearlescent luster.
• Violations of storage conditions cause the formation of cracks and chips on the beads.
• Untimely cleaning and care measures can lead to complete damage to the product.

Cleaning Features

After describing the negative consequences, it is necessary to console the happy owners of pearl products. To the question of how to clean pearls at home? – there are several possible answers. But before moving on to the algorithm of cleaning procedures, we should separately highlight the negative factors that this unique creature from the depths of the water element “does not like.”

Negative factors

• Human sweat and fat secretions contain a number of chemically active substances. Body jewelry (beads, earrings, bracelets) are constantly exposed to their action.
• Pearls are picky about the level of humidity in the surrounding air. A climate with excessively low humidity will lead to cracking of the coating, and a climate with high humidity will cause it to become cloudy.
• Contact of cosmetics with gloss is unacceptable. Meanwhile, this is the main reason for damage to pearls, since many women prefer to quickly put on jewelry and only then apply makeup.
• Despite its strength, the surface of the pearl is sensitive to mechanical damage and scratches. Even elementary dust can destroy the top layer if you attempt dry cleaning without using cleaning products.

Original jewelry for a lovely lady

Required funds

If you have everything you need from the list provided at home, then you can safely move on to the procedure for restoring the shine and at the same time protecting your jewelry.

• Soap or shampoo, preferably colorless. Usually these are products for small children.
• Warm water. It is important not to overdo it here, as hot water can adversely affect the condition of the surface.
• Potato starch. It is present in almost every kitchen.
• Olive oil. This is important because removing other oils from pearls after cleaning will be a very difficult task.
• Finely ground salt. It is also always present in the kitchen.

Soft fabrics with a high degree of hygroscopicity (flannel, cotton, suede, cotton wool) are suitable as tools.

Proven methods

Now it's time to answer the question, how to clean pearls? All means do not need to be used at the same time. Each of them represents one of the ways:

1. It is necessary to prepare a concentrated solution of soap or shampoo. For two glasses of water there is a tablespoon of shampoo, liquid or grated soap. The method of applying the product and cleaning depends on the shape of the jewelry. You can treat the surface with a cotton swab dipped in the solution, or immerse the products in the solution, wait a couple of minutes, and then wipe dry with a cloth.
2. Salt (necessarily finely ground to avoid scratches) should be poured into a piece of cloth that allows water to pass through well. Pearls should be completely immersed in salt. The closed flap in the form of a bag is held under running warm water until the salt is completely dissolved. It is important not to undertake any manipulations (do not massage, do not stir, just keep under water).
3. Potato starch will help remove stains. It is poured in small quantities onto soft matter. The placed product is wiped with starch and then with a clean soft cloth. There is no need to worry about the integrity of mother-of-pearl, since starch will not harm it.
4. Olive oil not only has a cleaning effect, but is also easily removed with a regular napkin. Therefore, you can apply a few drops of oil to the surface to be cleaned and work with a cotton pad to achieve the desired result. Then all that remains is to get rid of the oil.

The deep beauty of a real pearl

Jewelry is not made of just one specific material. Combination products are often found. An example is gold earrings with pearl peas inserted, and bracelets with pearls often also contain silver.

These metals are cleaned with chemicals that are harmful to pearlescent surfaces. If it is not possible to carry out targeted cleaning (pearls separately, and metal separately), then you should not take risks and entrust the jewelry to professional jewelers.

Each and every one is constantly surrounded by advisers who will tell you a way out of any situation. The problem of cleaning pearl products is no exception. In order not to think about whether this is good advice or the dirty trick of an envious neighbor, you should clearly understand what you definitely cannot do with pearls.

• Use abrasive substances as a cleaning agent.
• Use chemically active substances (acids, soda).
• Use aggressive agents (ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol and alcohol-containing liquids).
• Use hot water.
• Use brushes, coarse sponges, graters as tools.

Jewelry for social events

In the process of cleaning jewelry, the thread on which the pearls are strung may be damaged. The way out of this situation is simple - do not immerse the product in water, but use other available methods. But do not forget that frequent wearing of beads also reduces the life of the threads. Therefore, you should learn how to re-thread beads yourself.

It turns out that violating the rules for storing pearls can lead to various negative consequences. Every woman should know some tips on how to store pearls.

Jewelry from the depths of the sea deserves a separate storage place. This is not just speculation, there is a grain of rationality here. To avoid damage from other metal products, it is recommended to store pearls wrapped in soft cloth in a separate, sealed box. Air access is very important to maintain the shine and color of peas, as they contain an organic component.

It is advisable to wipe down your jewelry after every public appearance. Even short-term use leads to the fact that the surface becomes covered with a layer of dust and grease. But at the same time, paradoxically, long-term storage also has a negative effect. As a result, you should wear the products as often as possible, wiping them every time.

Even with the harmful effects of sunlight, it is recommended that products undergo periodic sunbathing. This leads to normalization of the moisture level in the crystal, which extends its shelf life.

When changing the thread on beads, it is worth learning how to tie knots between the peas. They will prevent dirt from penetrating into the thread holes.

We hope that the techniques indicated in this article will help you maintain your jewelry in a clean and tidy manner worthy of you. Store your jewelry correctly, take care of it, and then it will give you the opportunity to be truly magnificent.