While vinegar doesn't affect solid gold, and is actually a wonderful cleaning solution, gold-plating, or plated jewelry of any kind, should not be cleaned with vinegar alone. Vinegar is an abrasive substance that can corrode gold-plated surfaces.
Vinegar is incredibly corrosive. So, if your gold jewelry is made of a different metal or alloy, the vinegar will cause it to tarnish. Gold is a non-reactive metal, so it will not react to vinegar.
Gold plating is sensitive to water, so avoid wearing your gold-plated jewelry when you're showering or even washing your hands! As chlorinated and salt water can damage and discolor gold, it would be a good idea to take off your gold-plated jewelry before you head to the pool, sauna, or hot tub for a refreshing dip.
To remove the plating with a chemical solution, you only need some acetone, found in most drug stores or hardware stores. Soak your jewelry in the acetone for 15 minutes and then rinse it under warm water. The gold should come away easily!
STEP TWO: ALLOW THE JEWELRY TO SIT IN THE VINEGAR SOLUTION
Don't worry if you get distracted by something else. Your gold jewelry won't get damaged if you leave it in the small bowl with the white vinegar cleaning solution for longer than 20 minutes.
Vinegar Test
Once you have some vinegar, clean your piece of jewelry with a rag or cloth to remove any dirt so you don't get faulty results. Then, place your jewelry into a bowl and add a few drops of your vinegar into the bowl. Real gold will not change color, but fake gold will turn either black or green.
Vinegar. Cleaning your gold and gemstone jewelry couldn't be easier with white vinegar. Simply drop the jewelry into a jar of vinegar and let sit for 10 to15 minutes, agitating occasionally. Remove and scrub with a soft-bristled toothbrush, if necessary.
Baking soda is indeed an excellent DIY cleaner that can be used to clean various types of jewelry, including precious metals like gold and silver, as well as gold-plated, silver-plated, and even costume jewelry.
While you can use several home-based methods to restore your gold-plated jewellery, we highly recommend a professional jeweler, especially with thick gold plating. Thick gold-plating layers demand not only strong chemicals to dissolve but also extended procedures.
Any alcohol can tarnish gold and silver plating, that includes perfumes, nail polish remover, and/or pretty much anything that contains a sufficient amount of pure alcohol.
Avoid Unnecessary Contact with Water
To keep your pieces from premature damage, be sure to take off gold-plated jewelry when showering or swimming. “Chlorine, salt water, and fresh water can damage precious metals by dulling or eroding them,” Hordern tells Byrdie.
Even if a client is happy with the final outcome of the project, gold plating typically results in diminished returns. In other words, the effort required to add the extra features or services does not pay off because it consumes time and money that could be better spent elsewhere.
Submerging in Vinegar
Vinegar is another popular at-home solution for cleaning. But like lemon juice, vinegar is very acidic and will cause damage to your soft stones and plated jewelry. Soaking your jewelry in a bowl of vinegar will remove the jewelry's shine and finish.
Never use toothpaste, baking soda, or a commercial metal cleaner on gold. If you use these abrasives, you may scratch the gold.
The average lifespan of gold-plated pieces is two years. After that, the gold plated jewelry tarnishes and starts to wear down. Depending on how well you maintain your jewelry collection, this period can vary. You can take the jewelry to a jeweler to have it re-plated if it starts to lose its gold plating.
Yes, 18-karat gold-plated jewelry can tarnish over time. While the gold plating layer provides some protection against tarnishing, it is not completely immune to it. Tarnishing can occur when the base metal beneath the gold plating reacts with environmental factors such as moisture, air, and chemicals.
The coating applied by electroplating is usually around 0.0002 inches thick. By creating a chemical bond, the plating is a permanent addition to the surface of the base metal. This means that it will not naturally fall off or separate. However, plating can be worn off over months and years of use and wear.
Because of gold jewelry's high chance of tarnish*, there are a couple specific substances to avoid: Soap – Steer clear of any soap with unknown ingredients. Basic blue Dawn dish soap is fine, but remove your gold jewelry before showering to avoid accumulating a film from other body washes.
Some have found metal polishes, such as Brasso or Wright's Silver Cream, effective in removing thin gold plating. Simply rub it over the gold with a soft cloth. Depending on the jewelry, a professional jeweler may be able to simply buff off the gold plating for a small fee.
Scratch test.
If you cut deep enough that you expose underlying metal, you can assume that it is plated. If it appears to be made of a uniform composition throughout, then it is probably solid gold.
If the piece of gold is real, it will not change color, however if the piece of gold is fake, the vinegar will cause it to react and change color.
We do not recommend that CLR products be used on any metals except for chrome or stainless steel.