Trustpilot
How To Clean Yellow Gold Jewellery
4th March 2022 By Nilesh Rakholia
Quicklinks
Yellow gold is made from an alloy of pure gold and other metals such as zinc or copper. These metals add to the yellow colour of the gold. As with other types of gold, the carat number indicates how pure it is, with 24 carats being over 99 per cent pure and 14 carats being just under 60 per cent pure. Gold is naturally a soft metal. It can be easily scratched and is not very durable. For this reason, lower carat gold that is strengthened by the alloy metals is more usually used for jewellery such as wedding rings and engagement rings, which need to last and be strong enough to carry a diamond.
Yellow gold is made from real gold. It is as valuable as white gold, which also contains alloy metals such as nickel and is rhodium plated. Yellow gold and white gold are more expensive and more durable than silver and are both suitable for high-quality jewellery. They are much more affordable than some other popular jewellery metals such as platinum, however. Yellow gold is, therefore, a popular choice for jewellery.
How To Clean Yellow Gold
Gold has been a popular jewellery metal for centuries, but it’s important to take care of your gold pieces to ensure they stay at their best. Gold is a relatively soft metal and it will scratch and tarnish with long regular wear. Lower carat pieces also usually include metals that might be prone to discoloration over time or if they come in contact with harsh chemicals. To keep your yellow gold shiny and tarnish free, take care about exposure to household cleaning products and consider cleaning your jewellery pieces regularly. It's easy to clean your jewellery yourself at home. Try these tips regularly to keep your yellow gold pieces in top condition.
How To Clean Yellow Gold Engagement Rings
Soak your ring in hot soapy water for around 30 minutes, gently brush with a soft brush, rinse under warm running water and allow to air dry.
How To Clean Yellow Gold Wedding Rings
Soak your ring in warm soapy water, gently brush, rinse in cool water and dry and polish with a lint-free soft cloth.
How To Clean Yellow Gold Diamond Rings
Soak in soapy water as above, taking care when brushing around the diamond setting. The diamond itself is a hard stone and won’t come to any harm from gentle brushing.
How To Clean Yellow Gold Earrings
Soapy water also works for cleaning gold earrings. If your earrings don’t contain stones you could also soak them in rubbing alcohol for a few minutes, before rinsing and drying with a soft lint-free cloth.
How To Clean Yellow Gold Pendants And Necklaces
Use soapy water for gold pendants, or rubbing alcohol if they don’t contain precious stones. For the chain, you could also pop it in boiled water and leave it to soak until it's cool enough to handle. Rinse and allow to air dry.
How To Clean Yellow Gold Bracelets
Clean gold bracelets in warm soapy water, brush gently to remove dirt and grime, then dry and polish with a soft lint-free cloth.
Faq
The main difference between yellow gold and gold is the colour. Yellow gold has a lighter and brighter yellowish hue than pure gold, while white gold has a similar silver colour as platinum. The colour of yellow gold is caused by the coloration of the alloy metals that are used to make it.
Higher carat gold is more expensive, but being a soft metal the purer gold jewellery pieces can be prone to damage. If you’re looking for a long-wearing piece of jewellery, 14-carat gold is considerably stronger and less likely to scratch than 18 carats or 24-carat gold. It is important to take care of your jewellery, no matter its carat, to prevent damage and keep it at its best.
The quality of yellow gold is indicated by its carat. The higher the carat the purer the gold. Lower carat gold is stronger and more durable than higher carat gold. Pieces such as engagement rings, with mounted diamonds, for example, are likely to be made from 14 carat or 18 carat gold due to the higher strength and durability of the gold alloy. Yellow gold is the most hypoallergenic type of gold and is easy to maintain.
If yellow gold jewellery pieces are carefully looked after, they will last a lifetime.
Some gold looks more yellow than others as a result of the alloy metals it is mixed with. Similarly, white gold takes its colour from the nickel or palladium it is usually mixed with.
Pure gold is the most valuable type of gold. Lower carat golds contain higher percentages of other alloy metals, making them less valuable. This is true no matter which colour the gold is. Pure gold jewellery is rare, largely because of the softness of the metal. Mixing pure gold with other alloy metals makes more durable jewellery that will stay beautiful for a long time and be less susceptible to damage. White and yellow gold are similar in value, although white gold jewellery can be more expensive to buy, largely due to demand. White gold is also rhodium plated to enhance its white colour and make it more durable.
This can also add to its value, although it wears quite quickly and white gold pieces will probably need re-plating every few years. Rose gold is made with an alloy of gold, copper and silver. Copper is a relatively cheap metal and so rose gold is likely to have less value than white gold or yellow gold. As with all the colours of gold, this is dependent on the carat, size and style of the piece of jewellery. The choice of which gold to wear comes down to personal preference. Some advantages of yellow gold are:
● It is the most traditional gold colour.
● It is more hypoallergenic than other golds.
● It is easy to maintain compared with other golds, although it should be regularly cleaned and polished.
● It is more malleable than other golds and is easy to work with.
Whichever type of gold you prefer, we have a range of beautiful gold jewellery pieces to suit your needs at Abelini.
