Even if you rarely wear your jewelry - or if it sits tucked neatly in your jewelry box, it still needs a good cleaning on a regular basis.

If you are like most people, your jewelry, whether it was hand-selected from a vintage sale, passed down through the generations in your family, or highly researched and then bought at a jewelry store, means something to you. The last thing you want is oil buildup from your skin or dust and dirt particles reducing the natural glimmer that it should have.

Truth be told, even if your jewelry doesn't look "dirty", whether you have worn it numerous times or it sits in a special place in your jewelry box, it is still collecting the oils from your skin or the particles of dust in the air.

Here are some home remedies that people swear by will help you clean your jewelry:

1) Alka-Seltzer - the oxidization that occurs in a cup of water that is fizzing with Alka-Selzer will help to clean the residue on your jewelry.

2) Detergent & Aluminum Foil -  The process called "ion exchange" can be used to clean jewelry. Here's how to do it: Use aluminum foil to line a small sized bowl, then add a mixture of hot water and a tablespoon of POWDERED laundry detergent (must be bleach-free. Soak your jewelry in this solution for one minute, rinse it well, and then let it air dry.

3) Baking Soda - This technique has also been used on tarnished silverware. If your silver jewelry is tarnished, simply mix 2 tablespoons of water with 1/4 of baking soda. This should make a thick paste. Using a damp sponge, rub the paste on the tarnished parts until the tarnish comes off. Rinse and buff the jewelry dry.

Of course, if you want a professional to handle the cleaning of your precious jewelry, give BC Custom Jewelry a call and we will restore the original beauty of any piece that you send our way.