Stewart Kuper Jewelers How-To: How to Clean a Diamond Ring

We are deep into the winter holidays. You may be heading home for the holidays, or entertaining family. Whatever your plans, we wish you the best. When it comes to heading home you want to look your best. After all, it is all about being happy, celebrating with your friends and family. Part of that may mean making sure your diamonds are sparkling, or your new engagement ring shines just like it did the first time you laid eyes on it. Whether or not you are trying to impress your family, you may be interested in knowing how to clean diamond rings. For that, we have prepared a basic guide to cleaning diamond rings.

How to Clean Diamond Rings

When cleaning your jewelry, it is important to first make a few determinations. Determine just what is causing the ring to lose its luster. Dirt and grime can take the wow out of your ring, but not nearly as fast as a damaged diamond will. If you live an active life outdoors and keep your ring on, or find yourself cooking in the kitchen – again with your ring on, the layer of dirt, grime, and/or oils may be too hard and compacted for you to clean on your own without risking damage. In this case seek out professional help!

What You’ll Need:

• Toothbrush (very soft bristles)
• Warm Water
• Dishwashing soap.
• That’s it!

If your ring is dirty with simple substances, cosmetics for example, then you can try to clean it yourself. Make a solution of warm water (warm, not quite hot!) and simple dishwashing soap. You can soak the ring for 20 minutes. Afterwards, use a very soft toothbrush to brush the ring gently. Rinse using warm water. If necessary, repeat.

AVOID

• Household Cleaners
  • Household cleaners like chlorine, acetone, or bleach are harsh. They can ruin the metals in the ring.
• Anything Abrasive
  • Thinking about using toothpaste? Think again. Any sort of abrasive compound can easily scratch the metal of the ring, especially gold.
• At-Home Cleaning Machines
  • At-home ultrasonic cleaning machines can do a lot more than ‘clean’ the ring. If the ring is at all damaged or has poor workmanship the machine’s vibrations can jostle a stone loose.

Keep these things in mind when it comes to how to clean diamond rings, or any jewelry for that matter. While it may seem like an easy enough task to take care of at home, the unintentional damages can be devastating, financially and otherwise. We recommend you bring any of your ring concerns to us, whether that means cleaning, repairs, or anything else that worries you. Just give us a call at Stewart Kuper Jewelers, and we will take care of everything.

From our family to yours, Happy Holidays!