When shopping for jewelry cleaner the silver cleaner states not to be used on gemstones. Help!

STAY AWAY from sterling ‘dip’ cleaners…they contain forms of ‘battery acid’…all it is really doing is dissolving the top layer of the sterling-removing the tarnish and dirt. But it does NOT ’shine’ the jewelry…there is no dip made that will do that. Bringing back the high polish HAS to be done with physical effort-like a tumbler, polishing wheel, or polishing cloth.
Some gemstones (turquoise, rhodalite, lapis lazuli, pearls, coral, etc.) are SOFT stones…and any dip is going to literally eat the soft parts of the stone. Polish wheels can burn the soft stones, even reshape them.
Here’s what I recommended for 30 years….
if you wouldn’t put it on your FACE, don’t put it on your JEWELRY!
Head & Shoulders shampoo…with a toothbrush-will clean ANY jewelry, and actually restores shine to sterling if it isn’t ‘worn down’.
Toothpaste-for really dirty rings, bracelets filled with crud…use a toothpaste, rinse with warm water.
Dish detergent-just a couple drops on a toothbrush…good fast cleaner.
For diamond rings-ammonia! Windex works great-because the diamond needs to be ’squeeky clean’ to reflect light.
3-M makes a cream polish/cleaner called Tarni-Shield. Excellent stuff, and there is another product found in some grocery stores- Wright’s Silver polish.
IF your sterling silver is clean but dull and gray looking-then it has lost the high polish finish that makes it bright. ONLY a jeweler can restore this-by using a tumbler or hand polishing with a wheel. NOT something you can do at home. Silver is a SOFT metal-it will NOT hold a shine like gold does. If you have silver that stays bright and shiny, but it is a ‘chrome’ like finish-then it has been rhodium plated…and that unfortunately, has ruined the sterling. Once rhodium plated, and that wears off-it can never be brought to a genuine sterling polish. To plate it, the sterling had to be first plated with nickel steel!
And many, many people react to nickel as an allergic reaction.

I have recently purchased some loose gemstones and am interested in getting some of them made into jewelry (rings and/or pendants). How do I start to find a jewelry designer/maker in my area that will work with my ideas? (I live in the Houston,TX area) Any rules of thumb on pricing of these services?

Thanks so much for any and all information.

you could try any gem club or silversmithing group. or in your phone directory under manufacturing jewelers.
Do your homework, check many manufacturers, find someone you will trust. get one ring made first and see if you like it.
If you were in Queensland Australia I would say to come to my shop.
You would be most welcome.
10k gold I charge out at $30 per gram plus making and setting stones.
Silver is $2 per gram plus making and setting stones.

I have a silver and carnelian necklace. The silver is oxidized and I want to know how to clean it without harming the carnelian. A silver cloth is out of the question becuase the necklace is too detailed.

There is a method of cleaning silver which involves baking soda, hot water and aluminum foil, can anyone give me the exact details on this or other home remedies? Thanks.

First of all, your silver jewelry is better off saved in a “tupperware” like container, put the jewelry in cloth bags or in aluminum foil in the container… Always keep your silver jewelery when not in use… also try to change the foil bi-weekly! And clear bags may work too!

To clean silver, you may wanna try this inexpensive home remedy!

Take dampened cloth/sponge and pit some toothpaste, but not the gel type, on it and gently rub gently over the silver!
You may notice that the cloth/sponge becomes darker because of the tarnish… add more toothpaste to the other clean part of the cloth/spong… and continue rubbing it in! Then rinse it with hot water (you may add ammonia to the wash water) and dry it of gently using a soft towel.

I heard WD-40 also works well!

Good Luck

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I have some jewelry that I have collected over the years and would like to know the values of the pieces and the process to maybe sell some online. Any advice would be helpful.

The best way to get your jewelry appraised/authenticated would be to go to a local jeweler in your area. They should be able to look at what you have and give you an idea of the value.

As to whether there is a cost, it would probably depend upon how much detail you want from them. Just a quick look and value quote on a couple of pieces might be free, but if you have a lot of pieces and want a detailed appraisal, then I’m sure they would charge you for taking up their valuable time.

Best of luck to you!!

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