Comments on: How to Clean a Diamond Ring

By: kelly hamilton

kelly hamilton — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 17:19:39 +0000

I have a continual problem with my rings. I have a gorgeous wedding set, but im a dog groomer and the tiny hair gets stuck under my settings in the basket. iv tried everything i could think of to get the hair out. Including the ultrasonic cleaners. Does anyone have any ideas on how i can get the hair out of the basket without damaging the ring? Any suggestions are appreciated. thanks

By: Christina

Christina — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 00:36:23 +0000

Thanks so much for this! I have engagement photos tomorrow and wanted my ring to look it’s best without spending any cash. This worked great and my ring is as sparkling as ever!

By: Megan

Megan — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:00:12 +0000

My aunt has worked in the jewelry business for years & her jeweler gave her this trick:

Put enough ammonia in a cup/bowl to cover your jewelry & place the cup/bowl (minus the jewelry) in the microwave long enough to get it really hot (maybe 30-45 seconds). The liquid should be bubbling. Then drop your jewelry in, cover w/ a plate or saran wrap & leave in there for 20 minutes or so. No scrubbing necessary…I use a chopstick to swirl my rings around for a moment but they come out WAY shiny & it gets all the gunk out from around & under the setting, too.

By: Peachykeen

Peachykeen — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:19:06 +0000

A jeweller I trust told me to use equal parts household ammonia and water in a sealed jar and simply soak overnight.I do swish the container gently once or twice before I retire for the evening. In the AM, I just use a soft baby tothbrush as described earlier.Since I take them off at night anyway, I have clean diamond rings all the time!I only soak them every other night.I would strongly recommend that you have all of your diamond wedding rings (and the diamond rings you wear most often) checked by your favourite trusted jeweller at least every 6 months for any signs of wear or repairs that may be needed even if they look just fine to you.
BLEACH EATS GOLD.If you use any kind of cleaner with bleach, you should take off those precious rings and please wear rubber gloves to protect your hands and nails.
I hope this helps!!

By: Peter Rolwe

Peter Rolwe — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:59:23 +0000

@Fox Your jeweler is correct in that isopropyl alcohol is very gentle, and because it dries without water spots, the jewelery can look great after cleaning. It’s fine if your jewelry is not very dirty, and just needs a little touch up cleaning. But alcohol is only a so-so solvent for the grease, oils, and residue that can build up in a ring, especially under the stones. Add in dried soap and lotions, and some skin residues that build up inside a ring and under the stones if it goes some time without cleaning (gunk some jewelers refer to as “ring jam”…) then alcohol simply isn’t strong enough to cut through that junk. As I mentioned, detergents are stronger, and the aspect of a hot solution is important too, since the gunk softens and partially melts, making it much easier for the cleaning solution to act. Now, if you use just alcohol, and leave it for a day or two, especially if you agitate it a bit now and then, perhaps it will do the job. But who wants to wait that long.

By the way. People may now and then see commercially sold jars of jewelry cleaner. They come with a jar of solution, a little basket to hold the jewelry and a little brush usually. The solution is often colored with some nice looking dye, and maybe some scent, to help justify the several dollars cost. But that’s just marketing. The solution itself is not too different from ordinary hand dish washing detergent in water. It works best when used frequently, and when the jewelry is left to soak, perhaps overnight. If you make a similar solution, and warm it up (microwave it, but not with the jewelry in it yet, if you like. Not to boiling. Just hot) then it will be quite effective, quicker than that commercial jar, and much less costly.

@Athena. yes, funny. But if you wash dishes in a ceramic sink rather than, say, stainless steel, be a little careful not to bang your diamonds on the sink. Many people are surprised to learn that diamonds, thoough durable and very hard, can still be a little brittle, especially in certain vulnerable directions. Ceramic kitchen sinks are rigid and hard. Not hard enough to scratch a diamond of course, but hard enough to impart some force to the diamond if you bang the two together accidentally. Hit it at just the wrong angle, and you can chip the diamond. So be a bit careful here. Also, if your ring isn’t regularly cleaned, AND you haven’t had it checked or check it yourself for loose stones, especially the little side ones, then remember that if, while washing dishes, you clean off the gunk that’s helping to hold an otherwise loose little diamond in the ring, then that diamond might end up going down the drain. Safer to be sure the stones are secure by cleaning in a container such that if anything falls out, it’s not lost…
Cheers
Peter

By: Kerry

Kerry — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:11:05 +0000

@Athena VERY FUNNY! LOL

By: Athena

Athena — Fri, 15 May 2009 20:08:06 +0000

No wonder my ring looks so great after I do the dishes.

By: 3 Frugal Ways To Clean Jewelry | The Greenest Dollar

3 Frugal Ways To Clean Jewelry | The Greenest Dollar — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 23:24:58 +0000

[...] wonderful tip comes from Squawk at Squawkfox.com. Her advice? Use [...]

By: Kerry

Kerry — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:04:18 +0000

@Peter Rowe Thank you for jumping in. My jeweler is an advocate of using Isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, and I’ve seen excellent results when using a soft brush. Using toothpaste does indeed sound too abrasive. Thanks for cleaning up loose ends!

By: Peter Rowe

Peter Rowe — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:00:28 +0000

Oh, and one other comment worth making. Anytime your jewelry is cleaned, there is the possiblity that diamonds or other stones may be slightly loosened. Dirt working under stones not only can loosen it a bit, but then hide that fact by holding them in. After cleaning, the stones then are loose, and in some cases, can be easily lost (the big problem with steam cleaning and ultrasonics is that those loose stones are then forced out of the mounting by the cleaner, and are easily lost). Loose stones can be a problem with new jewelry where slight errors in stone setting haven’t yet been corrected, or with old jewelry where metal holding the stones has worn away. The fix is simple. After cleaning and drying, use a pin or sharp tweezers or the like touching each stone (especially the little ones) on one side then the other. If loose you can see it “rock” in the mounting, changing the way light reflects on the stone. Larger center stones can be literally wiggled with the tweezers (be gentle here. Just a light touch) to see if they move in the prongs or mountings. They shouldn’t. If any movement at all is seen, take the jewelry to a professional to have the stones tightened. If it’s new, take it where you bought it, and it should be free. If it’s old, find a competent repair shop. Please don’t try to glue the stones. That makes a mess, looks horrible, and is hard to remove when it’s time to do it right.
Hope that helps.