How do you clean turquoise jewelry?

I used to cleann my torquoise rings and bracelets using a very soft toothbrush and nonflouride toothpaste. This way the stones were not loosened from the settings. My pieces were handmade so naturally I didn't want to lose the stones!

I was told that Turquoise stone are delicate and get scratched easily.

Can I use jewelry cleaner for cleaning it? Will the cleaner affect the quality of the stone?

A soft toothbrush and white toothpaste, or mild soap, is probably your best bet for cleaning. Turquoise is a soft stone and chemicals can alter the color if they absorb into the stone.

Are the stones themselves dirty or the metal? Are they set in silver?

If you just want to polish the silver around the stones, then rubbing it with a soft jeweler's cloth is the safest and easiest way. It will remove any tarnish and you won't risk damaging the stones or metal with chemicals. Just be sure not to press too hard if the stones are set in prongs or raised from the surface of the piece.

Turquoise is a beautiful stone that is porous, so use caution when caring for and cleaning turquoise jewelry. Protect turquoise from prolonged sun exposure, extreme temperatures, cosmetics, perfumes, skin oils, grease, or any other harsh chemicals, as they might discolor the stone. When cleaning turquoise jewelry, use a very soft brush or a slightly damp soft cloth. Do not submerge turquoise in water and avoid using commercial jewelry cleaners, ultrasonic cleaners, chemicals or even soap. A polishing cloth is another safe way to clean or polish turquoise. Sunshine polishing cloths are great for cleaning turquoise & silver jewelry (Shameless plug: I sell these jewelry polishing cloths on my website here: ALL JEWELRY - ALL JEWELRY - SUNSHINE POLISHING CLOTH - Jewelry cleaner - Safely cleans N/A silver jewelry (http://www.tumbleweedsjewelry.com/catalog.php/tumbleweedsjewelry/ct/pd1988290/SUNSHINE_POLISHING_CLOTH__Jewelry_cleaner__Safely_ cleans_N_A_silver_jewelry)

When storing your turquoise jewelry, it is best to keep it away from harder gemstones, as they can scratch the turquoise. Remove jewelry before performing gardening, household tasks or any strenuous activity. Dirt can get into stone settings and scratching of surfaces is possible.

For more information on safely cleaning and caring for sterling silver, turquoise or multi-stone inlay jewelry, refer to this page on my website Tumbleweeds Jewelry - Care of Native American Jewelry (http://www.tumbleweedsjewelry.com/catalog.php/tumbleweedsjewelry/pg16928)

a soft toothbrush and white toothpaste, or mild soap, is probably your best bet for cleaning. turquoise is a soft stone and chemicals can alter the color if they absorb into the stone.

are the stones themselves dirty or the metal? are they set in silver?

The stones are set in white gold and I need to clean the stone. Probably I'll opt for the polishing cloth.
But at some point of time, when I clean the gold metal, I fear that the stone will get affected !

Gold doesn't tarnish, so it shouldn't need heavy cleaning. Rubbing it with a soft cloth or baby toothbrush should be enough to remove any dirt.