How do I clean this silver amethyst ring?

[DoeEyes]

It has sentimental value, it's my birthstone and it was a gift when I was a little girl. It's been sitting ignored for years and I'd like to see how it looks cleaned up and possibly get it resized since it's too big for any of my fingers. I think I need to soak it in something and then gently brush with a tooth brush? Is there something I can soak it in that won't hurt the amethyst?

 

[stracci2000]

Clean the ring with an old toothbrush and dish soap, like Dawn or similar.
Scrub gently under the stone. Once the stone is clean, dry thoroughly
and use a silver polishing cloth to shine it up.
If you don't have a polishing cloth, use a dab of toothpaste and rub with your fingers, then rinse. Don't rub the stone, just the silver. Don't clean the black oxidation from between the beaded design, it's meant to be there.
It will look great!

 

[DoeEyes]

Clean the ring with an old toothbrush and dish soap, like Dawn or similar.
Scrub gently under the stone. Once the stone is clean, dry thoroughly
and use a silver polishing cloth to shine it up.
If you don't have a polishing cloth, use a dab of toothpaste and rub with your fingers, then rinse. Don't rub the stone, just the silver. Don't clean the black oxidation from between the beaded design, it's meant to be there.
It will look great!

Thank you! I don't like the black oxidization between the beaded design. What would happen if I did try to clean it with a tooth brush?

 

[Bron357]

You can use a metal polish called “Silvio” on it safety. It will remove the tarnish, use a toothbrush to scrub into the crevices, then you’ll need to rinse under water using the toothbrush again to remove any left over polish ( it just dries white so it looks yuk if not cleaned off).
It won’t harm the Amethyst BUT looking at your photo it seems the gem is quite abraided, and that can’t be removed unless the gem is repolished by a gem cutter. It’s because Amethyst only has a hardness of 7.
As for resizing Silver, not all jewellers do it (Silver is bittle and isn’t easily reworked), so you might be better off getting a ring adjustment clip. You can buy metal ones that clip on the inside of the shank part to make the ring smaller or there’s a product called “Ring Snuggies” these are a soft clear plastic tube like piece that again you just clip over the ring shank.

 

[voce]

To clean the band, I would use a silver polishing cloth like https://www.target.com/p/connoisseurs-174-ultrasoft-174-silver-jewelry-polishing-cloth/-/A-14050729

For the oxidation between the beads you can maybe remove some of it. Boil a wad of aluminum foil with soap, and use a soft brush. The aluminum provides ions that the tarnish can bond with instead of staying on your silver ring.

 

[peacechick]

I am a proponent of the aluminum foil, hot water and baking soda method (you can google it, I also add a bit of dish soap). For me, it works better than toothpaste and a polishing cloth. I do use boiling water but as yours is an heirloom, I suggest just hot water... I don't recommend it for oxidised finishes (where the oxidisation is deliberate) but for a ring like yours, I think it will be ok, the crevices will remain oxidised, but overall brighter.

I successfully cleaned a filthy art deco marcasite ring this year, so I think amethyst should be fine. Do not use this method on opal, amber or pearl (use a polishing cloth for those).

For the sizing, one thing you could do is stack it with a thick silver band. It effectively makes your finger bulge...and the ring might fit.

 

[LemonMoonLex]

Clean the ring with an old toothbrush and dish soap, like Dawn or similar.
Scrub gently under the stone. Once the stone is clean, dry thoroughly
and use a silver polishing cloth to shine it up.
If you don't have a polishing cloth, use a dab of toothpaste and rub with your fingers, then rinse. Don't rub the stone, just the silver. Don't clean the black oxidation from between the beaded design, it's meant to be there.
It will look great!

Couldnt have said it better myself!