Quick and Simple Tips for Cleaning Diamond Rings at Home
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Quick and Simple Tips for Cleaning Diamond Rings at Home
With cars, pets, homes, and children to keep clean every day, you probably don’t give jewellery hygiene a second thought. But the jewellery we wear on our hands every day, like solitaire diamond rings, tend to pick up a lot of dirt and grime without us realising it. Cleaning a diamond ring properly helps you dodge damaging it with harmful chemicals or abrasive equipment, and keeps this valuable piece of jewellery in its best condition for as long as possible.
So, how do you quickly spruce up your diamond ring and restore its shop-bought shine without paying top price?
Before you start cleaning
It’s important that you wash both the stone and back of the ring setting. The setting is the part of the ring that rests on your finger and typically collects the most dirt. Not only does this make the entire ring look grubby after time, but the setting can also cause skin irritation if not washed frequently.
The best ways to clean your diamond ring – The cleaning kit you need
The last thing you want is to damage your diamond ring when you’re trying to make it look nicer, so make sure you use the right equipment. The best thing for cleaning a diamond is a soft bristled toothbrush — like one you might buy your child to use. The bristles will allow you to properly clean around all diamond facets and types of settings, while not harming the shine of the stone.
- Simple soap and warm water
One of the easiest diamond cleaning options is to use your household soap, such as hand soap or washing up liquid that you have lying around. As with other cleaning jobs, leaving the jewellery to soak is preferable, because this helps to loosen solidified particles in hard-to-reach areas.
- Alcoholic drinks
Alcohol is another top tip for restoring stone shine and getting rid of any trapped grime. A potent, clear, grain-based alcohol — like gin or vodka — is best for cleaning antique jewellery. This is because the high level of ethanol is a natural solvent that will chemically remove any stray dirt on the surface of the diamond or trapped inside the setting of the ring.
- Baking soda
If you’re looking for another answer to sprucing up your diamond jewellery that you can pick up when you’re doing your weekly shop, how about baking soda? Combined with water, baking soda forms a thick paste to create an effective cleaning solution for the stone and metal settings. Just remember to rinse the ring with warm water to remove any residue after you’re finished.
Then again…
There are also plenty of jewellers, like AC Silver, that offer free services to clean your diamond rings, too. Professional cleaning is arguably the best and most thorough method of washing diamond solitaire rings, and a decent jeweller will also check the diamond’s settings, as well as use an ultrasonic system to clean it. An ultrasonic system is a specialised tank filled with liquid. The jewellery is submersed and high-frequency sound waves are used to disturb and remove tiny dirt particles from almost unreachable parts of the jewellery.
Any of these options are great for restoring the shimmer to your precious diamond ring. Just make sure you stay clear of bleach or any corrosive solution! These can damage your stone and its metal setting, which might be irreversible.
Guest Article.