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!
Gold may be dissolved using aqua regia or royal water, which is nitric acid, combined with hydrochloric acid at a ratio of 1:3. Hydrochloric acid is commercially available as muriatic acid. Nitric acid is restricted and must be prepared using available chemicals.
Don't Wear It While Cleaning
However, household cleaners such as bleach and common chemicals, such as acetone nail polish remover and chlorine from pools, can also erode alloys in precious metals.
There are many common cleaning products that people may think are good to clean diamond rings with, but they can actually be quite damaging. Chlorine bleach, abrasives (like toothpaste or baking soda), or acetone should never be used on any jewellery.
Just polish them, hard - Brasso works a treat for removing gold plate.
Use Aluminium Foil And Baking Soda For A Deep Clean
Not only that but this method is gentle on the gold plating because it doesn't require abrasive contact with the jewellery. The chemical reaction between the solution and the jewellery will remove any tarnish whilst not being harsh on the gold plating.
It is a common myth that toothpaste is a good way to clean your jewellery. This is actually false. Toothpaste can damage your diamonds, gemstones, gold and silver. Toothpaste is abrasive and has a hardness of around 3/4 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness.
Alcohol-based sanitizers have no effect on metal rings. Non-alcohol-based cleaners typically use chlorine-based compounds as germicides. The chlorine could cause tarnishing of jewelry, especially if the piece is made of silver, low-carat gold, or nickel-based gold.
While acetone is great for removing rust from metal surfaces, it will actually cause rust to form if left on the metal for too long. This is because acetone is a solvent that breaks down rust, but it also dissolves the metal itself.
Jewelry solution
Purchasing a professional jewelry cleaning solution is a much easier way to clean your ring. Just make sure it's non-abrasive and chemical-free. Chemicals such as bleach, acetone, or chlorine could damage the stone or metal.
Keep your gold-plated jewelry away from chemical products like detergent and personal care items like perfumes, hairsprays, lotions, and creams. Acidic food ingredients like tomatoes are also a no-no as they impact the gold plating which can cause it to flake or wear off more quickly.
Finally, we suggest both for silver and gold plated items, not to use abrasive substances such as lemon, vinegar, salt, parmesan, cola, because they tend to corrode the surfaces.
If you have any jewelry that's made from a real precious metal such as silver or gold, you can clean it safely with alcohol. As long as your jewelry is made from these metals, the jewelry won't be damaged, whatever its karat or quality.
We were reminded this earlier in February that many people aren't aware of the damage bleach and chlorine can cause to gold. Both cause a chemical reaction that disintegrates the alloys in the jewelry over time.
Use Nitric Acid
If you have a circuit board with gold plating, you can remove the gold using nitric acid. The acid will dissolve the metal and leave the non-metallic components of the circuit board intact.
Reverse electroplating involves the use of a chemical solution and electricity to strip a metal (in this case, gold) from an item. Reverse electroplating is also useful for recovering other metals.
Keep Acetone out of confined spaces, such as sewers, because of the possibility of an explosion. DO NOT wash into sewer as Acetone is dangerous to aquatic life in high concentrations.
Acetone is capable of dissolving many fats and resins as well as cellulose ethers, cellulose acetate, nitrocellulose, and other cellulose esters. Because of the latter quality, acetone is used extensively in the manufacture of artificial fibres (such as some rayons) and explosives.
For a quick cleaning solution for gold and diamond jewelry, try a little isopropyl alcohol. You can fill a small container with some alcohol and drop your jewelry directly into the solution. Let it soak briefly and then remove the item. The nice thing about alcohol is that it will dry clear.
Avoid using abrasive materials or harsh chemical cleaners, as they can scratch or damage the gold. Isopropyl alcohol does not dissolve gold. Gold is a chemically inert metal and requires specialized cleaning treatments.
Toothpaste, baking soda, bleach, and other household cleaners are abrasive. While they won't damage your diamond, they can damage your gold. Windex won't hurt your ring, but it isn't a great cleaner either. So stick to mild soap and water, and six-month cleanings and check-ups at your jeweler.
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.
Washing your gold in warm water and dish soap is the best way to remove tarnish.
Salty or chlorinated water will trigger corrosion process that will eventually destroy the gold plating. Remember never to swim wearing your jewelry as even a single time exposure to salt or chlorine will trigger the tarnishing process that unfortunately cannot be reversed.