Eliminate minor scratches from glass drop earrings by completing the repair steps below. Afterwards, remove dirt from each earring's gold trim. Once finished, the earrings will look brand new, and they will enhance clothing items and other pieces of jewelry that you choose to wear.

Materials

• rubber gloves
• cerium oxide
• buffing cloths
• tweezers
• cotton swabs
• mild detergent
• glass of water
• spoon
• gold polish

Eliminate Scratches from Each Earring

Put on a pair of rubber gloves to prevent smudging the glass with your fingerprints. Pour a few drops of cerium oxide onto a small buffing cloth. Wipe the cloth firmly over scratches in the glass earrings. If you have trouble holding the dangling pieces of glass still while you are treating scratches, hold the earrings still by gently gripping them with a pair of tweezers. Use a clean part of the buffing cloth to remove excess cerium oxide that remains on each earring's surface.

Clean and Polish the Gold Trim

Create a mild cleaning solution by adding a few drops of dish detergent to a glass of water. Use a spoon to stir the detergent and water until suds form. Dip a cotton swab into the cleaning solution and use it to remove dirty residue from each earring's gold trim. Use plain water to eliminate any soap that remains on each earring's surface. Dry the earrings with a clean cloth.

If the gold trim is tarnished, restore its shine by a applying a few drops of gold polish to a buffing cloth. Move the cloth over the portions of the gold that have a dull appearance. Add more polish to the cloth as needed until all of the gold is shiny and has a uniform appearance. Eliminate excess polish from the gold with a clean, dry section of the cloth.

Protect the Earrings from Additional Damage

Store the earrings inside of a jewelry box when they are not being worn in order to prevent them from becoming dirty or scratched. Use cerium oxide and gold polish to clean the earrings on occasion. As long as dirty buildup doesn't accumulate, the earrings will not take long to clean. Once you have finished cleaning the earrings, dry the gold and glass that each earring is made out of with a clean, lint-free cloth. These simple maintenance steps will preserve the condition of the earrings, allowing you to wear the jewelry for many years.