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Cleaning a Diamond Ring 

Let’s face it, when it comes to jewellery, we all generally think of diamonds. There is nothing quite like having a freshly cleaned ring on your finger fresh from a Jeweller. The light bouncing off your diamond just right can make you feel like a million dollars. So it’s only normal to want to keep it looking nice and clean right? So I’ve put together some tips on cleaning a diamond ring or any diamond Jewellery. 

While Diamonds actually repel water they unfortunately do the complete opposite with grease and oil. Diamonds attract grease and oil more than most other Gemstones around. The natural oils from your skin, the hand lotion you might use before bed and even some soaps and perfumes can all get stuck to a diamond. 

So what to do if you find yourself in need of cleaning your Diamond? Well you could take it to an experienced Jeweller to get the best results, but you don’t need to every time. You can just as easily give your Diamond a clean at home using some simple techniques. 

So what to use?

Cleaning a diamond ring isn’t too hard, the best thing to use is Fairy liquid or a dish soap solution. In addition to this you could use a gentle shampoo like baby shampoo. Just avoid anything that contains a moisturiser, this will have the opposite effect on your jewellery and leave a film on the diamond. 

Get the tap running hot and fill up a bowl, add the washing up liquid or shampoo and give it a stir. Pop your Jewellery in the hot water and leave for around 20 – 30min. This will allow the dirt and grime on the back of the stones to start to break down. Gently use a soft tooth brush around the back of the stones to remove any dirt trapped and then rinse under WARM water. Then repeat if you need. Never go from hot water to cold water as this could damage your diamond or stones.

Cleaning like this should ideally be done once a week. Yep! Once a week! This will allow the build up of oil and grease to be kept at bay and will be easier to clean. I’d also recommend getting an experienced Jeweller to give it a once over to check the settings are all nice and tight and give it a professional clean and polish once a year. 

What you shouldn’t use to clean your Diamonds

This actually comes up a fair bit. Never use bleach to clean your Jewellery. You might think this is the ideal product to clean your Jewellery as it cleans your house so well.. its not, don’t use it. If you use bleach on your Jewellery you could potentially ruin it. Bleach is an extremely harsh chemical and can cause damage to some metals. Some solders can contain elements that will react with the bleach or chlorine and oxidise the solder. 

Other things to avoid would be toothpaste, thats meant for you teeth only! Also avoid baking soda. Toothpaste and baking soda are actually very abrasive and can cause scratches on your lovely Jewellery. 

Ultrasonic Machines

Now ultrasonic machines are great. Professional Jewellers use them all the time when cleaning Jewellery. I have one and its great… but….  these machines should really only be used by a Goldsmith who knows what they’re doing, especially if your item of Jewellery contains stones. I’m often asked about them and if I’d recommend people getting one. The machine works by blasting sound waves through a heated tank to dislodge any dirt and grime that builds up on the Jewellery.

They generally make a little noise and the liquid will slosh about. The problem is that if the item of Jewellery has any stones in, this can potentially lead to the stones coming out. This generally happens if the item of Jewellery hasn’t been serviced regularly, the piece is worn or the stones haven’t been set properly to begin with. A Goldsmith should check your item of Jewellery before and after its been in an Ultrasonic machine to check for loose stones and tighten any stones and settings that need attention. 

Servicing

Servicing your Jewellery (especially rings) is something I’d recommend every 12 – 18 months. The tips of claws can get damaged and worn over time so it’s well worth just taking a little time to make sure your diamonds or precious stones are secure. Checking over a ring and a full clean and polish can cost as little as £30. If your item of Jewellery needs work then I can give you a quote to restore it to a new condition. If you’d like a piece of Jewellery checked over and cleaned and polished get in touch and I’ll give you a quote based on your requirements. 

Thanks for reading 

How to care for your favourite pieces of jewellery

Caring for your Jewellery. 

I often get asked about Cleaning and Caring for Your Jewellery, whether its for a piece I’ve made or not. It really goes without saying that if you look after the jewellery you have it will last and stand the test of time. There are a few pieces of corse that will last longer than others even if you do nothing with them.

For example if you own a pair of simple diamond stud earrings that you never take off, then these aren’t really going to get loads of wear compared to say a ring because there in your ears! They will however get very dirty very quickly if you never take them off! If however you are constantly taking them in and out every day to clean or you simply don’t like wearing them at night you may find that after a while the clasp holding them will feel a little looser compared to when you first brought them. General wear and tear!

In my opinion, rings are the one piece of jewellery that should be looked after more than others. Bracelets, bangles, necklaces, pendants and earrings all of corse need looking after but rings generally are more susceptible to everyday wear. This generally means you just need to take a little more care of the rings on you fingers. I’m definitely not saying don’t wear them, but just be a little more conscious about wearing them at the gym or doing the gardening. If you wear a ring everyday and never take it off thats great, i’m a strong believer of wearing your expensive pieces. Whats the point of having a lovely piece of jewellery and only wearing it now and then.

So what to do?

Well I’ve listed a few ways in which you take take care of your rings so you can keep them looking fresh and the diamonds sparkling.

First off, if you wear hand cream and don’t take off your rings then they’ll need cleaning maybe a bit more often. The cream can get into lots of little holes and parts of the ring that can be much harder to clean. Some holes are there to let more light through, so if its clogged up with cream then the diamonds wont be looking there best.

Heavy gym user and use free weights a lot? Your rings aren’t as strong as those dumbbells! Take them off or wear gloves. I’ve seen a lot of damage done by weights at the gym so by just padding up your hands with gloves will do the world of difference.

Of corse if your job is very hands on then you will see your ring wearing more than someone who sits a computer or desk all day. I’m not saying take it off for work, its entirely up to you. I just want to make you more aware.

Now to cleaning.

A soft toothbrush works wonders! Hot hot water, making sure you don’t burn yourself, fairy liquid and a soft toothbrush. Use the toothbrush inside the ring to get into the little holes and round the diamonds. The hot water works to loosen the dirt and the Fairy works well as a degreaser to remove the oils built up on the ring. This is also very cost effective. There are other products on the market that work ok but in my experience this method works just as well. You need to be careful if you have a ring with other stones like Pearls or Turquoise as these cant really be submerged in hot water for long periods. They are very absorbent stones and contain natural oils that can be damaged if care isn’t taken. This might be more for a professional. For diamond rings on the other hand this method works wonders!

If you have scratches that you’d like removed then this again is one for a professional. Don’t try and remove marks yourself as you could easily damage the ring. This generally isn’t too expensive, but varies from ring to ring and places to take them. I’d be more than happy to give you a quote, just get in contact via my Contact Page. 

Thanks for reading.