Jewelry Care: How to Clean Gold Vermeil

Jewelry Care: How to Clean Gold Vermeil

Cleaning jewelry can be nerve-wracking if you don't know the proper method. Here's a handy guide on how to clean gold vermeil.

Keyword(s): gold vermeil

Jewelry doesn't have to be worth more than a college education for you to want to keep it shining bright like a diamond. Yet cleaning jewelry at any price point can be nerve-wracking if you don't know the proper method.

While gold vermeil (pronounced vur-may) rests squarely in the mid-range price category, you should still take the utmost care with your treasured pieces. In fact, you'll soon be going for the gold medal every time you slip one on.

Put down the polish and go for the gold with this article on how to best clean your glittering vermeil.

Silver for Starters

When making your plan to clean your gold vermeil pieces, it can be tempting to look up how you would clean pure gold and follow along with those suggestions.

But not so fast!

Although gold vermeil has all the yellow coloring of its standard gold "cousin," vermeil is actually a thick layer of gold plated over sterling silver.

Don't worry, as you haven't been sold up the river. Your jewelry is still exactly what you purchased, but it's important to know that vermeil is actually partially gold, that has been "wrapped around" sterling silver. Rest assured, gold vermeil pieces are required to have at least 120 millionths of an inch in thickness, with a minimum 10,000 fineness.

Tamping Down Tarnish

So what does this mean for cleaning your vermeil?

One of the biggest advantages of vermeil jewelry is the resistance to tarnishing. Silver has a tendency to tarnish, but because your silver is wrapped in thick gold it prevents and protects it from doing so.

Getting Your Gemstone On

If you've chosen to collect pieces that are gold vermeil with gemstones, there are several other things to keep in mind with your jewelry care process. 

Top Temp Tips

You may not think twice about running your hands through the hot water as you wash your face after a long workout. But you should! When it comes to cleaning your gold vermeil, you will want to keep an eye on the water temperature.

According to the Gemstone Institute of America, excessive heat or even sudden temperatures can severely damage your gemstone jewelry. This includes everyday actions like gripping an ice cold glass of white wine right before plunging your hands into hot water to wash your face.

In fact, the shiny, swirly color you love in pearls and white opals can darken and crack from too much temperature change. The stones can even loosen up so much that they'll fall from their settings.

Take care to gradually introduce your jewelry to temperature changes and you'll enjoy them for much longer.

Lotions and Potions

Hold onto that ring before you ruin your bling!

Whether or not your vermeil contains gemstones, you'll still want to take care with what else you wear with your jewelry.

We're talking about lotions, perfume, and oils. Even if you just dab these on your pulse points, at some point during the day, a bracelet or cuff may slide down and touch the chemicals. 

Dyes and other materials used to make our favorite types of perfume and lotions aren't always so good for our jewelry. Jewelry can also be dulled and damaged when exposed to our shampoos, soaps, and cleansers in the shower and bath, so remember to take them off before climbing in.

The same goes for other water activities, too. Although it can be a pain, take off your vermeil before entering a pool, spa, hot spring, or hot tub. The exercise is worth it to your body, because the chlorine and chemicals may be devastating to your jewelry. Leave jewelry locked in your car or better off, at home.

Consider a Gadget

We have robotic vacuums for our floors, apps that automate just about everything in our lives, and even soon may see self-piloting cars. So why not incorporate a machine to clean your gold vermeil for you?

It's called an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner and, while they are starting to enjoy more popularity and market share, you'll still pay a hefty chunk of money to get one.

Still, if you amortize the price over time and jewelry cleaned, you may find that it really pays for itself with convenience and ease of use. 

Further, ultrasonic jewelry cleaners can reach parts of your gold vermeil pieces that you won't be able to access by hand. Imagine those tiny cracks and crevices between bangle links or inside the clasp. If you've ever gotten a piece of food or something smelly stuck in an area like that on your jewelry, you know how frustrating it can be to try to get it out.

Cleaning gold vermeil with an ultrasonic machine may be the way to truly reach every single area on your jewels without stressing, squinting, or straining.

Gold Vermeil Expert Cleaners

We ask for help for everything these days, so why not consider bringing in the big guns for the best possible gold vermeil cleaning?

In most cases, this would involve bringing your jewelry to a retail jewelry store, as many of them offer drop-off cleaning services or are happy to clean while you shop. Sometimes, you can find jewelry repair stores as well that will take in your pieces for cleaning.

Like everything, you'll pay more for these services than if you were to do it yourself, but you're paying for the expertise and access to cleaning materials and machines that you may not have at home or want to invest in.

For savings ideas, ask the store manager or owner about new customer specials, volume discounts if you have a lot of jewelry to clean or think you'll be coming in regularly, coupons, and referrals.

It's also a good idea to do a bit of investigation online, looking at reviews of the shop from past customers, and reading testimonials.

Grab That Gold

Still sparkling?

Whether you're ready to purchase some gold vermeil pieces to start or augment your collection or gift someone else, we're here for you.

Click here to send us a message about cleaning questions, as we've seen just about everything. We can make recommendations on products and processes, and also point you in the direction of the best new fashions for your fingers, neck, and wrists.

You can also join our Rewards program from that link, where you can earn points toward free gold vermeil jewelry and other crave-worthy designs. Join us today and go for the gold!