Tips for Diamond Cleaning

Some brick and mortar companies provide diamond cleaning services at no additional charge for your diamond if you purchased it from them. Typically, these services are included in an agreement and protection plan that you can purchase along with your diamond to ensure luster and longevity for your diamond. However, not everyone has the opportunity to go to a professional jeweler for their diamond cleaning. The good news is that there are several tips that you can follow for your own diamond cleaning practices in the comfort of your own home with products that you may already have on hand.The first tip for diamond cleaning is to understand that not all jewelry cleaning solutions are created equal. What that means is that if you choose to use a cleaning solution especially designed for jewelry, you must make sure that the one that you use is appropriate for diamonds. Never assume a cleaner will work for all of your jewelry, diamond or not. If it is not right, you may tarnish the look of your diamond and cause problems in the future, which is not what you want when your entire goal is to make your diamond sparkle and shine.

However, the next tip if you plan to do your diamond cleaning at home is to use non-ammonia cleaners for your solution. Never use ammonia. Ammonia can be harmful to your ring as well as the diamond. Typically, any glass cleaner, like Windex or Glass Plus, will qualify as a non-ammonia cleaner for your solution. Once you have your solution, you only need a small amount of it for your cleaning, even if you have a rather large diamond. With a small amount of solution, you will want to clean the top, the sides, and the inside prong areas of your diamond to let the most light in to your diamond and allow it to shine.

To get inside the prong area of the diamond for cleaning, as well as give it a complete scrubbing with the solution, your next tip is to either purchase a cheap toothbrush or use an old toothbrush for your scrubbing utensil. Toothbrushes are often gentle enough that they will not scratch your diamond and flexible enough to get in all areas of the ring. The only thing that you should ensure is that you do not loosen your prongs when scrubbing it with a toothbrush. If you loosen your prongs, your diamond could fall out and get lost without you even realizing it.

Therefore, the best tip is to conduct a routine inspection when you conduct your diamond cleaning. A routine inspection can include the sturdiness of the prongs, the solidity of the diamond inside the prongs, and anything that may have gotten underneath your diamond. If your diamond is loose in its setting, your best decision is to forego cleaning your diamond until you get it inspected by a professional. If any work is conducted, the jeweler will often provide a free cleaning so that your product is returned to you in the best condition possible, which is always what you want.

Another tip for your diamond cleaning experience is to use gentle dish soap and some warm water. While you don’t want to use scalding hot water, which is not good for your hands or the diamond, the warm water will rinse away any residue left from the dish soap for the most sparkle that your diamond will produce. Much like a non-ammonia cleaner, dish soap will allow you to remove any gunk, like food particles, dust, or other similar items that may collect on your ring or underneath it as you wear it on a daily basis. Gentle dish soap is a safer alternative if you are unsure about your other cleaners or if you do not have non-ammonia cleaner in the house.

The last tip for diamond cleaning is to use a lint free towel to dry your stone and ring. Although you can use any towel, even one with lint, a towel that is lint free will leave your sparkler as brilliant as possible. When you go through all the trouble of cleaning your diamond, you want it to stay as beautiful as possible for as long as possible and this will get it off to as good of as start you can. In addition to using a lint free towel, you only want to pat the diamond dry instead of rubbing it. Rubbing the diamond can cause you to inadvertently loosen the prongs of your ring and threaten your stone.

These are just a few of the easy tips that you can follow for diamond cleaning that will allow you to care for your diamond on your own time. The better you care for your diamond, the longer its beauty will show.

Other articles of interest:

• Diamond Clarity
• The Versatility of Diamonds and the Big Day
• Taking Care of Your Antique Jewelry