You can save discoloured gold jewelry

Sure, it sounds kind of odd to put your gold jewelry in a glass of lager, but it’s for a good cause! Do you have some gold jewelry lying around which you don’t wear because it has changed colour over the years and it just looks grimy? It’s a shame, because you can easily revive gold jewelry with this simple trick.

Dull-looking and discoloured jewelry and beer are a ‘golden’ combination.

Oxidation

Let’s start at the beginning. Silver jewelry reacts to environmental substances, such as air, water and dust. This makes it look dull and dark. Especially oxygen makes them look darker, but water also causes corrosion. We call this process oxidation. Pure gold cannot oxidize. However, pure gold is too soft to forge jewelry from.

Jewelry

Because pure gold is too brittle to use, your gold jewelry is usually made out of copper, nickel or zinc surrounded with gold plating. These materials can oxidize, which is why your gold jewelry can start looking a little worse for wear.

The solution

Luckily the solution is quite easy, and most people will probably already have it in their homes. All you need is a glass of lager. Simply put your gold jewelry in a glass or bowl of beer and let it sit for about ten minutes. Once ten minutes have passed, take the jewelry out and dry it with a clean kitchen towel or cloth. You will see that your jewelry will shine like never before. It will have returned to its original colour and look new again.

Read more: What’s cheaper: doing the dishes by hand or putting everything in the dishwasher?

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Source: Libelle, Labo Vakelie | Image: Pixabay