Originally Posted by
walkerwek1958
9ct gold will tarnish, it’s only 37.5% gold after all! The tarnish will make the gold appear darker and less shiny.
A light wipe with a rouge cloth every few weeks is all that’s required to remove this, don’t use anything more abrasive than a rouge cloth and be careful on watch cases not to rub too enthusiastically on sharp edges or they won't stay sharp.
Hairline scratches are a different matter, they can be removed easily (gold is a soft metal) using metal polish on a soft cloth. However, on a bracelet or bangle they’ll soon come back and you don’t want to be polishing too frequently. Treatment with the rouge cloth alone will make the scratches far less noticeable and it may be prudent to settle for that.
I’ve just given a 9ct watch case a light refinish and it hasn't been near a polishing wheel, metal polish on a buff stick followed by light polishing with a cloth is slower but ensures no excess metal is removed.
I’m not a fan of Cape Cod cloths, I find the cloth is too harsh and puts as many hairline scratches in as it removes. However, they’re very effective at removing tarnish and light scratches but they are quite abrasive, a rouge cloth us less abrasive and should be enough for more frequent use.