Why is diamond cleaning important? Diamond rings represent the relationship, commitment and love that the couple shares. As much as the couple need to nurture their love and the relationship, it is equally important to also take good care of the engagement or wedding ring. Keep reading to find out the best ways to maintain your beautiful piece of jewelry.
How to Get a Proper Diamond Cleaning
A lot of people believe that simply putting your engagement ring on when washing your hand or when bathing can help maintain the ring. However, contrary to what a lot of people believe, these particular activities could cause the ring to look gray. This is because the soap being used in hand washing or in bathing can be harsh enough for the jewelry piece, thus making it appear dull, cloudy and gray. To avoid having this happen, it is very important that you know how to properly clean your engagement ring.
The most practical and perhaps the easiest way of maintaining an engagement ring is by diamond cleaning it yourself. By simply using a glass of lukewarm water and mild detergent soap, you can be able to achieve the lustrous beauty of your ring. To make your ring look brand new, simply prepare soapy water and clean it off using a soft bristled brush. When drying the ring, never rub it off with a cloth. Instead, have it rested over an absorbent, lint-free cottony cloth until it dries up. More about this diamond cleaning method later.
You may also try to clean your ring with a commercial jewelry cleaner. Just be sure to read the product instructions properly. You also have to ascertain whether or not the chemical composition of the cleaner is mild enough for your jewelry pieces. Certain chemicals can damage the gemstones so it is better to always determine whether the jewelry cleaner is appropriate for your engagement ring. If all is okay, this diamond cleaning method is clearly the safest way to achieve a nice diamond polish.
You may also elect to have your engagement ring be maintained by a professional jeweler. Your engagement ring has to be professionally cleaned once in a while especially when it become excessively dirty. Professional cleaning is also recommended for engagement rings incorporating man made diamonds in order to ensure the stones are secure and thoroughly cleaned.
Still, there are several methods by which you can clean your engagement ring effectively at home. Let’s look at some of the best:
How to Clean a Diamond Ring with Baking Soda
This has got to be the easiest diamond cleaning method you can achieve. Still, no consistent study has been done on whether it’s actually good for the ring or not. On the other hand, there have been no reports of baking soda damaging the rings either. So, as of now, it would be safe to say that diamond cleaning with baking soda is the easiest, cheapest, and most DIY-friendly.
Here are the exact steps to getting your diamonds shining like stars in the night sky with baking soda:
- Things you’ll need: water, baking soda, a bowl, a very soft (!) toothbrush;
- Fill the bowl with a bit of water. You’re going to need enough water so as to be able to submerge your ring wholly into the water. If you have more than one ring, add more water.
- Add baking soda. Of course, now you have to add the baking soda. If you’ve ever mixed baking soda with water, you should know that it will turn into a paste very similar to toothpaste.
Pro Tip: Don’t, under any circumstances, replace the baking soda with toothpaste!
- Add the diamond ring(s). It should be noted that this is also good for any kind of jewelry. Just be sure to add enough water and soda so as to adequately submerge the gems in the solution.
- Mix the diamond rings thoroughly. Imagine you’re making a cake out of diamonds. Stir thoroughly (but don’t use a blender!) and be careful not to hit the diamonds as it may cause inclusions. Also, a diamond cake may not be such a good idea.
- Remove the diamond rings from the bowl. Don’t throw out the mixture just yet!
- Clean the diamond rings with the brush. Use the soft tooth brush to clean the rings thoroughly. You should strive to remove any inch of dirt on the diamond. A special handheld magnifier could come in handy right about now. This is optional.
- Insist for extra dirty rings. If you dropped your ring somewhere unpleasant, continue cleaning it by dipping the brush in the baking soda mixture and then rubbing the ring again until it’s as sparkly as when you first got it.
Wondering how to clean diamond earrings? Earpieces, diamond necklaces, or any other precious diamond accessory can be cleaned in the way described above.
How to Clean a Diamond Ring with Ammonia
Ammonia’s a really tough thing, and it’s also one of the cheapest things that you probably have around your kitchen. This cleaning method takes everything one small step further than the baking soda one. It’s also probably more pricey since you’ll be needing a few extra things.
The exact steps for diamond cleaning with an ammonia solution:
- Things you’ll need: warm water, three bowls, ammonia, protective gloves, dishwashing liquid, very soft toothbrush, facial tissue.
- Pour water into a bowl. The obvious first thing once again. Use one cup of water and change the proportions according to the diamond jewelry that you clean.
- Add the ammonia and the ring. Use quarter-cup of ammonia per cup of water. Stir the mixture a little and then leave the ring there for about 20 minutes.
- Pour water and dishwashing soap into another bowl. This mixture will be used to actually clean the diamond engagement ring.
- Put on gloves and remove the ring. Using the rubber gloves, take out the ring from the ammonia mixture and put it in the soap mixture.
- Brush the ring gently. Like with the previous method, take out the ring and brush it with a very soft toothbrush. Make sure that the bristles are not too harsh as that may really damage your diamond.
- Rinse the diamonds in the third bowl. After you’ve successfully brushed the ring of any dirt, submerge it in some warm water in the third bowl to clean off any remaining ammonia or soap.
- Leave the diamond to dry on a tissue. Don’t manually dry the diamond ring with a towel as it may get included.
Pro Tip: all of these instructions can work just as well for gold, silver, and platinum jewelry cleaning.
How to Clean a Diamond Ring with a Jewelry Cleaning Kit
Some of you may not quite fancy the idea of dipping your ring in baking soda or ammonia. We get that. Both the ingredients are pretty rough on any surface, so would you throw one of your most precious possessions in such a bath. Luckily, apart from taking your ring to the jeweler’s shop, there’s another solution: a jewelry cleaning kit.
Here’s what you need to do:
- Go to the local jewelry store and buy a jewelry cleaning kit. Ask your local jeweler on how to use the specific cleaning kit. You can follow our advice, but the jeweler may offer some much-needed
- Pour water into a bowl. It really does seem like all good jewelry and diamond cleaning tips start with this line.
- Put the diamond jewelry in the solution. After adding some of the cleaning solution to the water, dump in the diamonds and leave them there overnight.
- Follow the instructions on the bottle. Don’t forget to look at what the bottle says. It may be that the solution is special and requires a different cleaning process.
- Use a polish and cloth to give a blinding shine. To make the diamond shine like a thousand suns, use the polish in the jewelry kit after you clean the diamonds.
How to Protect Your Diamond Ring from Damage
Maintaining the engagement ring does not stop on cleaning alone. You also have to take good care of it and prevent it from being damaged or lost. One way of protecting your ring from damage is by storing it properly. It is highly recommended to store your engagement ring in a separate jewelry box. Never mix up your engagement ring with other jewelry pieces. Instead, place it in a box away from other pieces of jewelry. Choose a jewelry box that is lined with soft fabric. However, you have to be sure that the soft fabric does not have obvious fiber strands that can screw with the ring. For seldom-worn ring, you may elect to have it stored in a safe deposit box.
Pro Tip: never wear your ring in the pool, shower, or while washing your hands. The chlorine in the water may irreversibly damage the diamond ring’s fire and brilliance. Clean the ring only when it gets dirty or when you need it to shine!
Conclusion
No matter how you choose to keep your engagement ring, you have to choose the best way to clean your diamond ring from the ones above. Although we admit that the first two are the cheap versions to diamond cleaning, we also guarantee that they will work, so make sure to try before you dismiss!
