Easy ways to maintain your diamond ring’s sparkle at home
You need to clean your diamond ring at home on a regular basis. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing your precious engagement ring losing its mesmerizing shine and looking old in a short period of time. Daily activities such as cooking, cleaning, washing and even doing beauty routines can easily build up substances such as dirt, oil and make up or hair care product remainings on your diamond ring.
If you are wearing your diamond ring every day, it is important to bring it to a good jeweler for a professional cleaning once every six months, however it is necessary to give a gentle clean to your ring every one or two weeks to keep it shiny and in a healthy state. Good news is that it is relatively easy to conduct diamond ring cleaning by yourself using a few simple supplies you can easily find at your household. Let me walk you thought the process.
Your Ring Preparation
Before you start cleaning your diamond ring at home, carefully inspect it for damage. Check that the ring claws are fixed and hold diamond still in its setting. Make sure that none of the stones are chipped or moving around loosely. If you spot any damage it is advised to bring your ring to a trusted jeweler for maintenance and not try cleaning it at home as you might cause further harm to it. You can completely break off claws or worse, lose your diamond stone down the drain if not being careful. Make sure your diamond ring is firm and you have set up a secure cleaning area (use a basin or plugged sink) before conducing any inspecting and cleaning activities.
Selecting Your Dimond Ring Cleaning Products
Even though diamonds are the toughest material found on the planet, you have to be careful while selecting correct cleaning substances. You can find countless advice on how to clean precious stones on the Internet, nevertheless I recommend using the simplest ones:
- Lukewarm to hot water
- Very soft brush (e.g. baby toothbrush or sable hair paint brush)
- Mild dish soap or baby soap
- Lint free clothe
Keep in mind to select only soft bristle brush as it might scratch the metallic part of the ring. For the process, squeeze (or rub in if it is a bar soap) a tiny drop of mild dish washing soap directly on the damp brush and run bristles gently around every corner of your ring. Do not apply any pressure along the process. Keep rinsing your ring and brushing the stones until all the dirt has been cleansed away and you are satisfied with the results. Finally, carefully dry your precious ring with a lint free cloth and its once again ready to shine on your finger.
What Cannot be Used to Clean Diamond Rings
Never use harsh chemicals such as window or bathroom cleaning solutions, bleach, chlorine or acetone to clean diamond rings. It can cause permanent damage to your gemstone. Simply stick to a mild soap and warm water solution. Another well know way of cleaning rings is by using toothpaste, however I do not recommend this method for diamond rings. It can scratch the metal. Additionally, do not attempt to use ultrasonic jewelry cleaning machines for diamond ring cleaning at home. Vibration movements caused by ultrasonic machines can cause stones become loose, fall out or even damage your ring by accident, therefore it is better to leave this option for a professional jeweler to work with.
Too Late to Clean
Be consistent in your diamond ring cleaning routine. If you notice that perhaps it is time to clean your diamond ring, it can be already too late. Everything that you come in contact with on daily basics, over the time builds up on your ring, making it extremely difficult to clear away. Just like any other item, diamond’s ‘youth’ can be affected by dirt and dust particles too. If you notice that your ring needs a touch up, it will not take long before it dusts up or stones drop off. Be sure to visit a reliable and competent jeweler to take care of it.
Final Thoughts
Be mindful to take care of your diamond ring on daily basics. Your ring must be gently cleaned every week in order to stay sparkling for many more years. Delaying a visit at a jewelry shop once small changes on your ring have been spotted (slightly loosen stone, claw or something more) can cause it severe damage in the near future. It is easy to lose those very valuable little diamond stones, which leaves your ring looking old and undermaintained and is very costly to replace.
