"For heavily-tarnished, we've made a paste of three parts baking soda one part water," says Peterson. "Apply the cleaner with a soft cloth and work it into the tarnished silver. Once the silver is removed rinse, and buff dry."

Never submerge silver in water. You shouldn't use a paper towel to get the job done, because it could be abrasive.

As for gold:

"With everyday wear, your gold rings and necklaces can be lodged with dirt and body oils," says Peterson. "Give them a quick bubble bath with seltzer water or club soda and mild dishwasher detergent. The bubbles will help loosen dirt lodged between crevices. Place your jewelry in a strainer and allow it to soak for five minutes in the solution. With a soft tooth brush, rub the pieces to dislodge any dirt."

Then rinse under warm water and dry each piece.

Pearls are soft porous stones and for this you just need to add a little shampoo to water. Use an eye-shadow brush to apply the solution to each stone; then use a clean damp cloth to wipe each pearl clean. Then let it dry flat.

Porous stones are not all the same; each one has its own way of being cleaned. Amber for example can be cleaned using a damp cloth with no soap. Turquoise on the other hand should be cleaned with a dry cloth, because water could discolor the stone.

It's the opposite for hard stones like diamonds and sapphires. If they are set in, they can be left to soak briefly. For diamonds, mix two parts warm water and one part ammonia. For sapphires, a little dish liquid and water will do the trick. While soaking, just scrub lightly, then rinse and dry.

Once the dirt breaks the ice, your precious stones will once again make the cut.