STEP TWO: ALLOW THE JEWELRY TO SIT IN THE VINEGAR SOLUTION 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 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.
The acid in the vinegar takes a couple of minutes to react with gold and other substances. Keep the vinegar sitting on your gold piece for at least 15 minutes, just to make sure it has gotten enough time to react. Watch the gold for color changes like black or green to see if it is fake.
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.
Remember that the solutions we offered for solid gold and silver jewelry do not transfer to diamonds. Baking soda and vinegar can seriously damage your gemstones and should never be used with these pieces.
The traditional acid test for gold consists of placing a small drop of a strong acid, such as nitric acid, onto the metal's surface. Most metals fizz and bubble, while precious metals remain unaffected.
What to do: Hold the magnet up to the gold. If it's real gold it will not stick to the magnet. (Fun fact: Real gold is not magnetic.) Fake gold, on the other hand, will stick to the magnet.
The Acid Test
Drop a small amount of liquid nitric acid on that scratch and wait for a chemical reaction. Fake gold will immediately turn green where the acid is. Gold-over-sterling silver will become milky in appearance. Gold will not react to the nitric acid.
Vinegar. Is vinegar good for cleaning jewelry? Yes! Here's how to clean jewelry with it: Soak your pure silver bracelets, rings, and other jewelry in a mixture of 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 tablespoons baking soda for two to three hours.
To tackle items with significant corrosion, submerge your rusty tools or knives in a bowl of white vinegar and let them sit overnight or as long as 24 hours. Once they have had a good soak, remove them from the vinegar and scrub the rust off with steel wool, a scouring pad, or a wire brush.
No. Gold is a stable metal and does not react with oxygen, so vinegar will not hurt it.
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.
The plastic and glass surfaces on most small kitchen appliances, such as blenders, coffee makers, and toasters, are safe to clean with vinegar, but you want to avoid any rubber parts or metal that vinegar can corrode. This includes stainless steel.
If you leave it in over the recommended amount of time, it won't harm your jewelry, however if a chemical reaction does occur that discolors your jewelry, use a polishing cloth to remove the color and restore the original color.
Acid test.
An acid test can reveal the karat of solid gold jewelry, but it can also show whether jewelry is solid gold or gold-plated. With an acid test, a small sample of the jewelry is removed and exposed to acid to induce a color change. The resulting colors indicate which type of metal the jewelry is made of.
Gold is a noble metal which is resistant to change by corrosion, oxidation, or acid. You can rub the gold-colored item on jeweller's black stone, which will leave an easily visible mark. The mark is tested by applying nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, which dissolves the mark of any item that is not gold.
Test Gold Using the Float Test
Take a cup or glass, fill it up with water, now bring the gold that you want to test. Drop it into this filled glass. If the gold floats, it is surely not real but if the gold sinks to the end of the glass then it is pure gold. The real gold will sink due to being a heavy metal.
Polishing Gold
Standard commercial gold polishes will quickly and safely clean gold jewelry when applied with a soft chamois cloth. If your gold jewelry has begun to tarnish, you can remove the tarnish by making a lukewarm water and dish soap mixture with just a few drops of ammonia.
Never use toothpaste, baking soda, or a commercial metal cleaner on gold. If you use these abrasives, you may scratch the gold. Never use bleach.
Does Coke Clean Gold? This is a handy and maybe unexpected tip, but Coke does indeed clean gold. You can dip your gold in a small bowl of Coke and make sure that it is completely covered. Leave the gold plated jewelry in the solution for 10 minutes and then rub with a soft cloth and rinse.