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How To Clean Your Jewellery During Quarantine, As Per The Queen's Royal Dresser

Few people know more about caring for precious gems and jewels than those in charge of the British royal family’s vast collection.

And now they're sharing tips with us lowly lot to ensure we keep our precious pieces sparkling, too. 

While royal pieces have the benefit of a dedicated workshop inside of Buckingham Palace where they can be repaired and cleaned, most average jewellery owners have to make do with what they can find around the house.

However, it's been found over time that these household items are by far the hardest working and cost-effective. And hey, if it's good enough for the Queen of England...

Drip-feeding details on how the most polished woman in the world keeps her jewellery shining is that of Queen Elizabeth's royal dresser Angela Kelly, in her new book The Other Side of the Coin.

According to Kelly, a little bit of gin can be used to clean tarnished jewellery and bring back shine to dull baubles.

She writes: 'Gin and water are handy for giving the royal diamonds a little extra sparkle.’ 

This, she says, is how the Queen has her sparkling crowns, tiaras, necklaces and the like cleaned. 

If that doesn’t work she advises using washing up liquid to polish your jewellery.

Then, using a soft or old toothbrush, gently scrub the item until you're happy with the result. 

If using alcohol to clean your jewels sounds like it could do more harm than good, bear in mind many of the Queen's baubles are pristine diamonds – well able to stand up against the harsh spirit.

So maybe skip the gin when cleaning any high street finds. If ever in doubt, bring your pieces to a specialist.

It's also recommended that you should leave your jewellery off any time you’re doing something that involves chemicals or abrasives – including anything from nail varnish remover to perfume to hair spray – which can be damaging to softer gems like opals and pearls.

Main image by @hoskelsa

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