Misha Lobban, Contributor

The cleaning cloth, jewellers say, is perfect for cleaning both silver and gold jewellery.

Remember that advice about using toothpaste to clean your jewellery? Well, it's time to throw it out along with the old toothbrush.

Local jewellery experts such as Conrado Rawlins at Extras (Tropical Plaza), and Ezron Neamatt of Olive Gem Jewellery Company in Lane Plaza agree that it is just a myth. In fact, using toothpaste on your sterling silver and gold jewellery tarnishes and causes them to lose their lustre.

The most effective way to keep your jewellery clean and looking new, the experts say, is to get them professionally cleaned. This is especially necessary for intricately designed items of jewellery. Professional cleaning will cost between $500 and $1,000 for one item of jewellery, but this a small price to pay to maintain the beauty and value of your priceless wedding band, bracelet and other items of jewellery, says Neamatt.

professional cleaning

He argues that while there are products or home remedies that can be used to clean silver jewellery, he strongly recommends that persons should not, on their own, attempt to clean items of jewellery that are made of gold, but that they should ensure that these are professionally cleaned.

Professional cleaning includes the use of a special chemical compound to polish and buff your jewellery. A high polish called Rugh and Tripoli, as well as a new product on the market called Fabulustro, is also used by professional cleaners to ensure that gold and silver jewellery maintain their brightness and lustre and sparkle like new.

The frequency with which jewellery is cleaned depends on how often it is worn. How jewellery is stored is also important.

Other methods of cleaning and maintaining gold and silver jewellery are:

1. Silver Clean or Silver Dip - This is a liquid jewellery cleaner that is available on the market for an estimated cost of $500-$700. It contains a solution in which you insert your jewellery overnight. The solution carries a small brush for removing dirt and grease from your jewellery.

2. Cleaning Cloth - This, according to Rawlins of Extras that specialises in sterling silver, is perfect for cleaning both silver and gold jewellery. The cleaning cloth is available on the market for about $350-$400.

3. A home remedy which involves heating water (do not allow the water to boil) and adding a capful of ammonia and a drop of liquid soap. Deposit jewellery in the solution for 10-15 minutes, then use an old toothbrush along with the warm solution to remove dirt and grease from your jewellery. The experts caution that this method is effective for cleaning gold but not silver, and that it can remove the natural lustre from your jewellery. In addition, this method does not provide the same long-lasting maintenance and shine as a professional cleaning.

Regarding the maintenance of your favourite silverware, the experts recommend using baking soda mixed in warm water and a cleaning cloth to polish and restore shine to silverware. However, when silverware becomes tarnished (turns yellow), it is time to get them professionally cleaned.