How Often Should I Clean My Jewelry?

Written By Allie Perry June 1, 2024

There are certain things in our life that we clean all the time, like our bodies and the clothes we put on them. There are other things we clean every once in a while, like our windows or the impossible-to-remove-and-then-replace duvet cover. And there are some unfortunate things that we never remember to clean- I’m looking at you, floor under the stove.

But when it comes to your jewelry, you should make an effort to clean it regularly!

Over the many decades I’ve spent making jewelry, I’ve cleaned more gunk than I care to recall out of people’s jewelry, especially their rings.

I’ve cleaned things that don’t seem like they’d be that dirty, like the gobs of soap and lotion that tend to pile up on gemstones faster than those junk mail fliers for the newest pizza place pile up on your kitchen counter.

I’ve cleaned your hair out of your hair stylist’s rings, because those little snipped-off bits that didn’t land on your neck to make you itchy for the rest of the day had to go somewhere.

And try not to think about this one too much, but I’ve cleaned chunks of meat out of your Great Aunt Linda’s ring after she made her coveted secret-recipe meatballs for the most recent family function.

It’s gross. 

And you don’t want gross stuff hiding out in your jewelry, under your stones, making everything look grimy and dull!

You also don't want your stud earrings to collect the shampoo, conditioner, and dead skin that will leave them looking (and smelling)...not great.

This is an extreme example of a before and after- all I did was clean this mystery substance away.

So 👏 keep 👏 your 👏 jewelry 👏 clean!

If you don’t know how, go read this article I wrote that breaks it all down for you. Just like most other things in your life, the more you wear your jewelry, the more frequently you should clean it. I clean every day jewelry items once a week, because I love sparkly things and I want them to stay super sparkly. You can stick to once a month for daily-wear items if you'd like, and once or twice a year for the pieces you only wear occasionally.

And if you just don’t want to deal with doing it yourself, have everything professionally cleaned! Even if you regularly clean your own jewelry, it’s good practice to get it cleaned by a professional at least once a year, or every six months if it’s an item you wear all the time. A jeweler can not only clean your jewelry, they can also examine your pieces for any damage and let you know if it’s time to perform any regular maintenance.

Fine jewelry is an investment, and you should do everything you can to make sure that investment always looks its best!