Can gold be scratched?

On FB there was a suggestion for cleaning jewlery. Small bowl of heated water, piece of foil on the bottom, 1 tablespoon salt, tablespoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon laundry detergent. It sets up a wonderful roiling and bubbling (which should tell some people how DANGEROUS IT MUST BE TO MIX BAKING SODA AND SALT TOGETHER TOGETHER AND PLACE THEM ON AN ALUMINUM BAKING PAN!!) I tried it…and it works like a dream! I also scrubbed on it a bit with a toothbrush.

When I got the ring my jeweler told me how he cleaned jewelry…he used laundry detergent (he insisted on one brand, but I don’t remember what it was. I just used whatever I had) and water and boil it for 10 minutes or so. Then gently scrub it with a toothbrush. That works too.

Well, a gal I don’t even know is all freaking out that I’m going to scratch the ring. I said, “You can’t scratch diamonds and I don’t think you can scratch gold.”

I’ve used a toothbrush several times. There is no indication that my ring is scratched.

Besides, how could the ancient golden artifacts we uncover still be shining like new, without a trace of a scratch on them, when they’ve been buried in dirt and sand for thousands of years?