Gemstone Cleaning Chart
Follow the guidelines in this Gemstone Cleaning Chart to properly care for and clean your gemstone beads and jewelry.
Gemstones require different cleaning methods based on their hardness, this chart lists the recommended cleaning methods for each stone in order to achieve desired results.
Cleaning Gemstones | ||||||||
Gemstone | Toughness | Mohs Hardness | Steaming | Ultrasonic | Boiling | Soap | Untreated Cloth | |
Agate | Fair | 6 1/2 - 7 | No | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Alexandrite | Excellent | 8-1/2 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Amazonite | Poor | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | Never | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Amber | Poor | 2 - 2 1/2 | No | No | No | Luke-warm soapy water is safe. Do not use a brush because it may leave scratches. | Yes | |
Amethyst | Good | 7 | Risky | Usually Safe | No | Yes | Yes | |
Angelite | Poor | 3-1/2 | Never | Never | Never | No | Yes | |
Apatite | Fair | 5 | Never | Risky | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Aquamarine | Good | 7 1/2 - 8 | Usually Safe (unless it contains feathers or fractures) | Usually Safe | No | Yes | Yes | |
Aragonite | Fair - Poor | 3 1/2 - 4 | Never | Never | Never | Usually Safe | Yes | |
Aventurine | Good | 7 | No | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Beryl | Fair - Very Good | 7 1/2 - 8 | No | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Calcite | Fair - Poor | 3 | Never | Risky | No | Cool soapy water is safe | Yes | |
Carnelian | Good | 7 | No | Usually Safe | No | Yes | Yes | |
Chalcedony | Poor - Fair | 6 1/2 - 7 | Yes | Yes | Never | Mild is safe. Be sure to remove residue. | Yes | |
Chrysocolla | Poor | 2 - 4 | No | No | No | Luke-warm soapy water is safe. Do not use a brush because it may leave scratches. | Yes | |
Chrsoprase | Fair | 6 1/2 - 7 | Yes | Yes | Never | No | Yes | |
Citrine | Good | 7 | No | Usually Safe | No | Yes | Yes | |
Coral | Fair | 3 1/2 - 4 | Risky | Risky | No | Yes | Yes | |
Cubic Zirconia (CZ) | Good | 8-1/2 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Yes | |
Diamond | Excellent | 10 | Yes | Yes | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Diopside | Poor | 5 1/2 - 6 | Never | Risky | No | Safe | Yes | |
Emerald | Poor - Good | 7 1/2 - 8 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Fluorite | Poor | 4 | Never | Never | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Garnet | Good | 7 - 7 1/2 | No | Usually Safe | No | Yes | Yes | |
Goldstone | Good | 5 1/2 - 6 | Never | No | Never | No | Yes | |
Howlite | Fair | 3 - 3 1/2 | Risky | Risky | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Iolite | Fair | 7 - 7 1/2 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Jade, Jadeite | Exceptional | 6 1/2 - 7 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Yes | |
Jade, Nephrite | Exceptional | 6 - 6 1/2 | Safe | Safe | Safe | Safe | Yes | |
Jasper | Fair | 6 1/2 - 7 | No | No | Never | No | Yes | |
Jet | Poor | 2 1/2 - 4 | Never | No | Never | Mild soap is safe, and a small amount of mineral oil will restore shine. | Yes | |
Larimar | Fair | 4 1/2 - 5 | Never | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Lava | Fair - Good | 3 - 3 1/2 | Never | No | Never | Very mild soap or Himalayan salt to remove essential oils. Be sure to rinse all residue. | Yes | |
Kyanite | Poor | 4 - 7 1/2 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Labradorite | Poor | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | Never | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Lapis Lazuli | Fair | 5 - 6 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Magnesite | Poor | 3 1/2 - 5 | Never | No | Never | No | Yes | |
Malachite | Poor | 3 1/2 - 4 | No | No | No | Safe | Yes | |
Marble | Poor - Fair | 3 - 4 | Never | No | Never | No | Yes | |
Marcasite | Very Poor - Poor | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | No | Never | No | No | |
Mica | Poor | 2-1/2 | Never | No | Never | No | Yes | |
Moonstone | Poor | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | Never | Never | Safe | Yes | |
New ''Jade'' | Poor | 2 1/2 - 6 | Risky | Never | No | Safe | Yes | |
Obsidian | Fair | 5 - 5 1/2 | Never | Yes | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Olive ''Jade'' | Poor | 2 1/2 - 6 | Risky | Never | No | Safe | Yes | |
Onyx | Good | 6 1/2 - 7 | Yes | Yes | Never | No | Yes | |
Opal | Very Poor - Fair | 5 - 6 1/2 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Pearl | Poor | 2 1/2 - 4 | No | No | No | No | Yes | |
Peridot | Fair - Good | 6 1/2 - 7 | No | Risky | No | Safe | Yes | |
Prehnite | Fair | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Pyrite | Poor | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | No | Never | Mild | A soft cloth is safe. | |
Quartz, Crystal | Good | 7 | No | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Quartz, Rose | Good | 7 | Never | Yes | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Rainbow Moonstone | Poor | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | Never | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Rhodochrosite | Poor | 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 | No | No | No | Cool Soapy Water | Yes | |
Rhodonite | Poor - Good | 5 1/2 - 6 1/2 | Safe | Usually Safe | No | Warm Soapy Water | Yes | |
Riverstone | Fair | 3-1/2 | No | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Ruby | Excellent | 9 | Yes | Yes | No | Lukewarm Soapy Water is safe. | Yes | |
Sapphire | Excellent | 9 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Selenite | Very Poor | 2 | Never | No | Never | No | Only if dry, as this stone can dissolve in water. | |
Serpentine | Poor | 2 1/2 - 6 | Risky | Never | No | Safe | Yes | |
Shell | Fair | 3-1/2 | Risky | Risky | Risky | Safe | Yes | |
Shungite | Poor - Fair | 3 1/2 - 4 | Never | No | Never | Yes | No | |
Soapstone | Poor | 1 - 2 | Never | No | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Sodalite | Poor | 5 - 6 | Risky | Never | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Spinel | Good | 8 | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | |
Sunstone | Poor | 6 - 6 1/2 | Never | Never | Never | Safe | Yes | |
Tanzanite | Poor | 6 - 7 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Tigereye | Good - Excellent | 7 | Usually Safe | Usually Safe | Never | Yes | Yes | |
Topaz | Poor | 8 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Tourmaline | Fair | 7 - 7 1/2 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Turquoise | Poor - Good | 5 - 6 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | |
Zircon | Fair - Good | 6 1/2 - 7 1/2 | No | No | Never | Yes | Yes |
Toughness:
Toughness is a material's resistance to breakage. The combination of hardness and toughness largely defines the durability of a gemstone.
Hardness:
A measure of a mineral's hardness and its resistance to scratching, invented by Austrian mineralogist, Friedrich Moh. The scale goes from talc (number 1) being the softest, to diamonds (number 10), being the hardest substance known by man.
Customer Comments
We would like to share some of the customer comments we received in response to the article "Gemstone Cleaning Chart" as featured in an email newsletter. Please keep in mind that the comments expressed below are those of our customers and do not reflect the views of Fire Mountain Gems and Beads. |
''Hi! I just received your latest Jewelry Maker's Newsletter - what a wonderful guide you included with the gemstone cleaning guide! I immediately printed a copy to keep with me! Really, really helpful.
Thanks!''
- Julie
''Hey Fire!!!! Your "Gemstone Cleaning Chart" is GREAT, Thank you. I will pass this on when I give a gemstone necklace or bracelet. Thanks again.''
- Maxine
''Awesome information. Thanks.''
- BJ
''Thank you so much for including the methods for cleaning gemstones in your newsletter. It will become a permanent addition to a lot of beaders' information.''
- Sharyn
''Thank you SO much for the gemstone cleaning chart. I've been looking for something like this forever.''
- Debbie
''The recent newsletter was full of things I wanted to know. Thank you. I especially liked the gem cleaning chart. I found some rough gemstones and was wondering how to clean them.''
- Sally
''Gemstone Cleaning Chart: AWESOME. BEAUTIFUL. LOVELY. What a wonderful tool to have. Thank you for making that available. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!''
- Lisa
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