Five minutes, once a fortnight, with things you already own.
What you need
- A bowl of warm water, comfortable to the hand rather than hot
- One drop of ordinary washing up liquid
- A soft toothbrush, kept for this and nothing else
- A lint free cloth
The method
- Let the piece sit in the warm soapy water for ten to fifteen minutes. This is doing most of the work, so give it the time.
- Brush gently, and spend nearly all of it underneath the stone. The pavilion is where film gathers and it is where the light enters, so cleaning the top alone changes very little.
- Work around the setting where the metal meets the stone, and along the chain links, using the tip of the bristles.
- Rinse in clean warm water. Put the plug in the basin first, which has saved a great many pieces.
- Dry fully with the lint free cloth, and give it a minute in the air before it goes away.
What to keep away from it
Every Clariva piece is moissanite set in 925 sterling silver beneath a gold tone finish. The stone will tolerate a great deal; the finish is the part that asks for care, as it is on any plated jewellery.
- Chlorine and bleach, including a long soak in a swimming pool
- Abrasive pastes and powders, and toothpaste, which is more abrasive than it looks
- Ultrasonic and steam cleaners, which are wonderful for solid gold and hard on plated finishes
- Hairspray and perfume sprayed onto a piece already worn, rather than before it goes on
The habit that matters more than the clean
Wipe the piece with a soft cloth when you take it off at night. It takes a moment, it stops the film forming at all, and it does more for the brilliance than any amount of cleaning afterwards.
If a piece still looks flat after a proper clean, see does moissanite get cloudy, which explains what you are actually looking at.
The piece this was written beside
The Verity Pendant Necklace, $117.99. Moissanite set in 925 sterling silver beneath a waterproof, tarnish resistant gold tone, on its chain, with tracked delivery included.