Let's face it, like most people you've probably notice your metal Jewellery getting tarnished or just plain grimy.

All jewellery needs some cleaning, care and attention to be kept at its sparkling best and we can help you with it.

Because many people aren't sure where to start with looking after their jewellery, here are 10 info-packed tips to help you learn about precious metal jewellery and how best to easily clean and care for it. This includes our magical low tech and easy Yeah, science! jewellery cleaning method.

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Let's get started:

1. Sterling silver always tarnishes over time

Sterling Silver is a precious metal alloy made with 92% pure silver and 7.5% copper. The copper makes the silver harder, making it much more suitable for use in jewellery making than pure silver, which is very soft.

Pure silver does slowly tarnish by reacting with chemicals in the air, but it goes a dull grey colour. However, copper is a much more reactive metal which forms a brown-black oxide on the surface.

Given the mix of the two metals you will get grey to black tarnish on your sterling silver jewellery, especially when exposed to air and even more so in a humid environment.

The more you wear your silver jewellery, the less tarnish it will accumulate as it will be worn off.

Read on for the best ways to clean your beautiful silver jewellery.

2. Pure gold doesn't tarnish, but gold alloys can

Pure Gold is the most non-reactive of all metals: it won't react with oxygen, meaning it won't tarnish. 

However, gold alloys commonly used in jewellery can tarnish somewhat, especially at lower carats (8-10ct). This is caused by the other metals used in the alloys reacting with air and liquids, similar to the way that the copper in sterling silver reacts to form tarnish.

In general tarnish isn't as much of an issue with gold as it is with silver. So what's the downside of gold?

In reality the downside of gold is: expense. Currently 18ct gold is over 50 times more expensive per gram than sterling silver.

We rarely make entirely gold jewellery in our jewellery range due to the expense, but we do include gold highlights and other gold plated finish.

3. Not all metals are what they seem

White gold:

What you see on the surface of white gold jewellery is very unlikely to be gold. White gold is actually a warm grey colour: not the bright white you see in most jewellery shops. This colouring is the result of the metal being plated with a layer of rhodium.

Rhodium doesn't tarnish, but the plating will eventually wear through, showing some of the greyer gold underneath. If this happens you can take your white gold jewellery to a manufacturing jeweller to be re-plated.

Sterling silver:

Sometimes manufactured sterling silver jewellery may also be plated with rhodium or with a layer of pure silver. The latter can tarnish somewhat and cause a matte grey finish.

If your sterling silver is plated you may find it reacts differently to your skin compared to regular sterling silver.

Most of the handmade silver jewellery we sell in our online jewellery shop is raw, un-plated sterling silver.

Gold vermeil:

Vermeil is made from sterling silver which has been coated (usually heavily) with high carat gold.

This gives you the luminous colour of gold for a fraction of the cost and with the upside of a precious metal under the gold plating. We think it's a great solution to the cost of purchasing solid gold jewellery.

The downside is that the gold layer can fade or wear off over time. You should take care to polish your vermeil jewellery carefully and to store it in a way that keeps it clean so you need to polish it less often.

We sell a number of gold vermeil jewellery designs in our online shop.

Gold filled:

Gold filled jewellery is not actually filled with gold: quite the opposite. It's a base metal which is coated with a thick and hard wearing layer of gold. Again this is vastly less expensive than solid gold.

Your gold filled jewellery can generally take a bit more wear and tear than vermeil, but you should still take care to avoid removing the outer layer of gold given that you won't want to see the base metal beneath.

Again, be careful when polishing and cleaning it to avoid removing the outer layer of gold and try to keep your gold filled jewellery clean and free from tarnish so it needs polishing and cleaning less often.

Gilded metal:

Gilded jewellery has been covered with usually high carat gold foil (similar to gold leaf) using an ancient technique to bond the foil to the other metal (usually sterling silver).

This creates a really beautiful finish, particularly when 23ct gold is used as the colour is luminous.

However, the surface is fragile to some extent and care should be taken when cleaning these pieces. Again, careful polishing and keeping your jewellery clean for as long as possible is helpful to protect the surface.

An example of a 23ct gilded finish over sterling silver are the above Elizabethan gilded teardrop earrings.

4. Tarnish on precious metals is easy to clean

So how do you solve the problem of tarnish on precious metals? Here's the deal:

Using a silver dip (available from many supermarkets, hardware shops and jewellers) for suitable jewellery will almost instantly clean tarnish off silver.

Always follow the instructions and rinse thoroughly after. Note that you should not use silver dip on silver which has blackened areas as part of the design or with some porous gemstones.

Alternatively use a precious metal polishing cloth. Or you can use our nifty and eco-friendly Yeah, Science! jewellery cleaning method below.

The tarnish on silver is not like rust which eats into metal: the surface underneath the layer of tarnish will still be pristine once it is cleaned correctly.

The same goes for copper jewellery.

5. Silver tarnish can be removed using Yeah, Science!

This is an eco-friendly way to clean jewellery and it does a good job removing tarnish.

How does it work? Here's the deal:

Place a piece of aluminium foil which covers the bottom of a small bowl. Then pour a cup of hot water over the foil and mix in:

• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon dish washing detergent

Put the jewellery to be cleaned into the bowl so it sits on top of the foil and is covered by the solution. After 5 to 10 minutes you can rinse your jewellery in cool water and dry it with a soft cloth. Discard the solution and the foil. Repeat if necessary.

6. Jewellery doesn't just tarnish: it gets dirty

Your jewellery will accumulate grime in crevices from being worn and even dust from sitting around unworn. You may not even notice this happening because it's a slow process, but you'll find that a good clean will make the world of difference to how your jewellery looks.

You can use a cheap ultrasonic cleaner to remove dirt and grime from your jewellery - it will do a good job quickly. However, see the special care section below to learn when not to use it.

Alternatively use a soft brush or cloth with warm soapy water to wash away accumulated grime and dirt.

7. Using toothpaste to clean jewellery is a bad idea.

Toothpaste is used by some people to clean jewellery as its gritty composition can remove tarnish and dirt from the surface of metal.

So what's the problem?

Toothpaste unfortunately also removes some of the metal itself, which is definitely not a good thing.

While this may not be immediately noticeable for solid silver or gold pieces, repeated cleaning in this way over time will reduce the quantity of metal and will eventually cause problems if the piece is delicate. It will also lightly scuff a highly polished surface and remove any plating.

It's an extremely bad idea to use this or other harsh cleaning methods with plated, gilded or vermeil finishes which have a layer of precious metal on the surface - or any other sort of colouring.

8. Some metal jewellery requires special care with cleaning

If your jewellery is gilded, plated, has a vermeil finish, is patinated (chemically coloured - including blackened) or has any other coated finish, you should take care with cleaning so as not to damage or remove the surface.

The geometric panel pendant shown here is sterling silver, but the interior has been coated with a gold wax pigment for colour. This is an example of a piece of jewellery that requires extra care.

In these instances never rub the metal too vigorously and try to keep the jewellery generally clean and free of tarnish so it doesn't need much effort to clean.

Silver dip is not recommended for use on patinated surfaces.

9. Also take care cleaning jewellery with gemstones

Jewellery with diamonds, rubies and sapphires are generally safe to clean in an ultrasonic cleaner, but other gemstones may not be. If you have any doubt don't use an ultrasonic cleaner with other gems.

In addition opaque gemstones, including pearls, opals, turquoise and lapis lazuli, can be porous. You should take care cleaning them and never use an ultrasonic cleaner or any chemicals (including silver dip). A soft cloth with some water should be fine to use on the stones and you should be able to carefully clean the metal around them with a precious metal polishing cloth or similar.

Finally, pearls in particular are organic and can be discoloured by perfume, soap and make up, so take care.

10. Jewellery storage is important

Keeping your jewellery in a dry atmosphere without circulating air can help to slow down tarnish and prevents dust from accumulating. A jewellery box or pouch can help.

Avoiding humidity in storage areas is important - the bathroom isn't a good place for your jewellery to be kept unless it's in a well sealed container.

If you live in a humid location it's a good idea to take extra care to keep your jewellery stored away from damp air.

If you enjoyed this article, please do us a favour and share it with your friends.

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Read our full jewellery care and cleaning article.

Other reading:

• Silver: Wikipedia
• Gold: Wikipedia