At Simon G. we encourage regular cleaning of your  jewelry in order to keep your collection always looking its best, and it is especially important now during the COVID-19 epidemic. We want to ensure everyone stays as safe and healthy as possible while enjoying their Simon G. jewels. Here are answers to some common questions about jewelry cleaning and the coronavirus. 

Since all Simon G. jewelry is solid gold or platinum, it can undergo extensive  cleaning and the high temperatures used in steam cleaning, the method used by most jewelers to professionally clean fine jewelry. For self cleaning, you can use any kind of commercial jewelry cleaner, hot water, or soap. The only Simon G. stones that cannot hold up to this intense cleaning are pieces containing the following colored stones, opal, kunzites, pearls, tourmalines or emeralds. 

The general advice for cleaning any kind of jewelry is warm water and mild dish soap. For dirt and stubborn grime like lotion, sunscreen, and soap scrum buildup, use an old toothbrush or jewelry cleaning brush to get in all the nooks and crannies.  Soap your rings up well, scrub all over, rinse, and then inspect underneath all stone settings and inside any engravings. You'll likely have to repeat a few times to dissolve all grime and to be sure they are throughly clean.  You can also boil your rings in water mixed with a bit of bleach, hydrogen peroxide or alcohol.

Make sure to allow jewelry to dry fully and completely, because trapped moisture is a common source of skin irritation.  We recommend you self clean your  jewelry every few weeks to keep your investment and heirloom pieces looking their best. During the health epidemic, feel free to do this even more often to insure your jewelry remains clean. This type of cleaning will not kill bacteria or germs, but it will help remove them physically, the same way soap and water does when you wash your hands. 

 

If you'd like to disinfect your jewelry, you can use regular household isopropyl alcohol or hydrogen peroxide, as long as the jewelry is solid gold or platinum and is only set with diamond, ruby, or sapphire. Take care with any other kind of stones and use a gentler form of cleaning. 

Yes, products like hand sanitizers can be used while wearing our jewelry.  Since gold and platinum are fine metals, they are hard surfaces and can be treated as such.  But just rubbing hand sanitizer on your hands will not sanitize the jewelry itself - germs can stay hidden within the inside surfaces. It is best to clean the jewelry itself separately. 

To make sure no germs remain trapped underneath your jewelry, yes, generally it is a good idea to remove your jewelry pieces before washing your hands.  But be careful not to immediately put it all right back on afterwards- you'll just contaminate your hands again! Take the opportunity to wash your jewelry along with your hands each time. 

Another method to clean jewelry is to actually use the dishwasher! This will sterilize your gems just like it does your plates. There are several products on the market created specially for this purpose. For a small items like a ring, you can even put it in a tea strainer!