How to Clean Pearls and Opals Without Ruining Them
Key Takeaways
- Pearls, opals, turquoise, and amber can never go in an ultrasonic or steam cleaner. GIA is explicit on this for pearls, and the same rule holds for the other three stones.
- Pearls are ranked about 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and their nacre layers absorb water, which is why soaking a strand can weaken the silk thread it's strung on.
- Opal is hydrated silica, meaning it holds water inside its own structure. Heat, dry air, and sudden temperature swings can crack it, a defect jewellers call crazing.
- The safe method for all four stones is the same: wipe with a barely damp soft cloth, never soak, never scrub.
- Have pearl strands professionally restrung roughly every one to two years of regular wear, and bring opal, turquoise, or amber pieces in if you ever see a crack, cloudiness, or a loose stone.
How do you clean pearls without ruining them?
Wipe each pearl with a soft cloth that's barely damp, right after you take the piece off, and let it dry fully before you put it away. That's it for routine care. GIA recommends this same wipe-down method and says an occasional wash in warm soapy water is fine for a deeper clean, as long as a strung piece is completely dry before you wear it again.
What ruins pearls is almost never the cleaning itself. It's everything that touches them before you get to the cloth. Perfume, hairspray, lotion, and other cosmetics contain chemicals that can permanently dull or pit the surface of a pearl, so the rule is simple: pearls go on last, after your makeup and spray routine is finished, not before.
Why pearls and opals can never go in an ultrasonic cleaner
Ultrasonic cleaners work by shaking a stone with sound waves fast enough to knock dirt loose. That same vibration is exactly what destroys a pearl or an opal from the inside.
Pearls
A pearl's nacre is built in fine, layered sheets, almost like the rings of a tree. Ultrasonic vibration can separate those layers, creating tiny fractures that spread across the surface like a spider web. There is no fixing that once it happens. Pearl is also soft, at roughly 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale according to GIA, so it scratches and abrades far more easily than a diamond or a sapphire.
Opals
Opal is hydrated silica, which means the stone physically holds water within its structure. That water is part of what gives opal its play-of-colour, the shifting flashes across the surface. It's also the reason opal is so sensitive to heat and vibration. GIA and Jewelers of America both warn that ultrasonic and steam cleaning can dry the stone out or shock it enough to cause a fine network of cracks called crazing. Once an opal crazes, that damage is permanent.
For a deeper look at why opal needs this kind of care and how to set it safely, see our Opal page in the Gemstone Encyclopedia.
Why you should never soak pearls, and what soaking does to the silk thread
Strung pearls are held together by silk thread, and silk absorbs water the same way cotton does. Soak a strand and the thread swells, then dries unevenly, which stretches it and leaves the pearls loose or crooked on the string over time. That's on top of the risk to the pearls themselves: prolonged water contact can work its way between the nacre layers and cause them to separate or cloud. A strand of pearls that gets a quick wipe after every wear rarely needs anything more dramatic than that.
The porous and soft stone care matrix: pearl, opal, turquoise, amber
These four stones show up across a lot of estate and vintage jewellery, and they all share the same basic vulnerability: they are soft, and most are sensitive to water, heat, or both. Here is how each one is actually cared for.
| Stone | Cleaning method | What to avoid | Professional-only situation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearl | Wipe with a barely damp soft cloth after each wear. Occasional wash in warm soapy water is fine. | Ultrasonic or steam cleaning, soaking a strung piece, perfume and hairspray applied after wearing. | Silk thread showing wear, knots visibly loose, or a strand that looks stretched. |
| Opal | Wipe with a barely damp soft cloth and mild soap, then dry immediately. | Ultrasonic or steam cleaning, direct heat, sudden temperature changes, prolonged soaking. | Any visible surface cracking (crazing), or a doublet/triplet where the layers look like they're separating. |
| Turquoise | Wipe with a soft microfibre cloth. Warm soapy water is acceptable for a light clean. | Ultrasonic or steam cleaning, perfumes, lotions, and other chemicals, which can discolour treated stones. | Colour change, surface dulling on a treated stone, or a stone that feels loose in its setting. |
| Amber | Wipe with a soft cloth. Mild soapy water only, never anything abrasive. | Ultrasonic or steam cleaning, strong light for long periods (can darken it), household chemicals. | Colour fading on dyed or treated amber, or any crack in the resin. |
Hardness and treatment sensitivity vary across these four stones, but the safe method is the same one in every row: a damp cloth, mild soap if needed, and nothing that vibrates, heats, or soaks the piece for long.
How often should pearls be restrung or opal jewellery inspected?
If you wear a pearl strand regularly, plan on professional restringing roughly every one to two years. Silk thread wears from the inside, invisibly, long before it actually snaps, so waiting for a visible problem usually means the strand breaks while you're wearing it. For opal, turquoise, and amber, there's no fixed restring schedule since they're typically set rather than strung, but bring the piece in the moment you notice a crack, cloudiness, colour change, or a stone that feels loose. On our bench in Coquitlam, we check the setting and the stone together, because a loose bezel is often what let moisture or a knock reach the stone in the first place.
For more on caring for pearls specifically, including how they form and what separates natural from cultured, see our Pearl page in the Gemstone Encyclopedia. Our Jewellery Care Guide covers cleaning and storage for every other material we carry.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you clean pearls without ruining them?
Wipe each pearl with a soft cloth that's barely damp after every wear, and let it dry before storing. For a deeper clean, GIA says warm soapy water is fine, as long as a strung piece is completely dry before you wear it again. Never use an ultrasonic or steam cleaner on pearls.
Can you clean opal jewellery at home?
Yes, with a barely damp soft cloth and mild soap if needed, then dry it right away. Keep opal away from ultrasonic cleaners, steamers, direct heat, and sudden temperature changes, since the stone holds water inside it and can crack from any of those.
Why can't pearls or opals go in an ultrasonic cleaner?
Ultrasonic cleaners vibrate the stone to shake dirt loose, and that same vibration can separate a pearl's layered nacre into fine surface cracks, or cause an opal to craze from the inside since it holds water in its structure. Neither type of damage can be repaired once it happens.
How often should pearls be restrung?
Roughly every one to two years if you wear the strand regularly. Silk thread weakens gradually and often shows no visible sign before it breaks, so restringing on a schedule is safer than waiting for a problem to appear.
Is it safe to wear pearls or opals in the shower?
No. Both are sensitive to prolonged water exposure and to the soap and shampoo residue that comes with a shower. Take them off before showering, swimming, or any task involving water or cleaning chemicals, and put them on last after your cosmetics routine is done.