Advice given by jewelry store to clean my diamond ring

[iluvdiamonds2]

My ring is an antique and the lady told me to take some water a drop of soap and soak the ring in there. I don't know what kind of soap. I would imagine hand washing is bad for yr diamond as it might build up , right? So how would soap be "good" for cleaning it then?

 

[Gypsy]

Hot water, dawn, soft toothbrush.

What I do is take hot water, put some dawn in it and leave my rings in there for a little while. Then reach in with the toothbrush give it a nice cleaning, then put it back into soak. After it's had a little while I gently rinse with hot water (but making sure there is something under the ring (like a wire basket) to catch anything that might shake loose (just in case).

 

[yennyfire]

Ditto to what Gypsy said. I also add a drop of ammonia, but I don't know if that's OK for antiques, so I'd stick with her method.

 

[stci]

Hot water, dawn, soft toothbrush.

What I do is take hot water, put some dawn in it and leave my rings in there for a little while. Then reach in with the toothbrush give it a nice cleaning, then put it back into soak. After it's had a little while I gently rinse with hot water (but making sure there is something under the ring (like a wire basket) to catch anything that might shake loose (just in case).

I agree. I don't think ammonia is necessary.

 

[Gypsy]

I use ammonia on my platinum pieces. Not on my white gold. I'm not sure that there is any reason for this btw. It's just what I do.

So my pendant and earrings get just dawn (and they are bezels) and my rings (all of which are platinum) get ammonia and dawn. Unless I am doing everything all together. Then no ammonia.

 

[kittybean]

Yup, Dawn is good. Dish soap works well for me.

Gypsy, my WG also doesn't get ammonia, but for me, it's because the rhodium plating wears off very, very quickly on me. The ammonia seems to speed up the process even more, which is both annoying and expensive!

 

[Gypsy]

Yup, Dawn is good. Dish soap works well for me.

Gypsy, my WG also doesn't get ammonia, but for me, it's because the rhodium plating wears off very, very quickly on me. The ammonia seems to speed up the process even more, which is both annoying and expensive!

That's what I always think it the back of my mind, which is why my WG doesn't get ammonia, but I don't remember where I read that or heard it so I don't really repeat it cause I'm not sure it's accurate. Especially since my white gold pieces aren't rings so the rhodium plating tends to last longer that it would on a ring.

 

[iluvdiamonds2]

Wow! Dawn! I have that - great!! So when we wash our hands and the soap gets on the ring and then we rinse our hands clean, does that soap clean the ring or does it build up???

Because I've been washing with my left hand horizontally on top with fingers open as to avoid any soap running on top of the diamond. It's getting to be annoying since I wash my hands a lot during the day.....

 

[Gypsy]

Wow! Dawn! I have that - great!! So when we wash our hands and the soap gets on the ring and then we rinse our hands clean, does that soap clean the ring or does it build up???

Because I've been washing with my left hand horizontally on top with fingers open as to avoid any soap running on top of the diamond. It's getting to be annoying since I wash my hands a lot during the day.....

Soap scum is a fact of life. I occassionally hit my diamonds with an alchohol rub or something. I have ( ) even considered seeing what Jet Dry might do.

I wash my hands normally but I do really rub my diamond and let a lot of water run over it. AND clean it once a week to get rid of any soap scum or other gunk.

ETA: WHEN I AM NOT AT HOME, I wash my hands normally.... But when I am home I take my rings off when I wash my hands and put them in a safe place near the sink.

 

[yssie]

tradespeople comment on ammonia on wg here, old thread - [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/will-ammonia-hurt-white-gold.37024/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/will-ammonia-hurt-white-gold.37024/[/URL]
another thread - [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/swimming-with-white-gold.59752/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/swimming-with-white-gold.59752/[/URL]

apparently chlorine/ammonia dissolves the nickel in white gold/copper in alloyed yg?
good grief. No more Mr. Clean baths for my rings

 

[MissGotRocks]

tradespeople comment on ammonia on wg here, old thread - [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/will-ammonia-hurt-white-gold.37024/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/will-ammonia-hurt-white-gold.37024/[/URL]
another thread - [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/swimming-with-white-gold.59752/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/swimming-with-white-gold.59752/[/URL]

apparently chlorine/ammonia dissolves the nickel in white gold/copper in alloyed yg?
good grief. No more Mr. Clean baths for my rings

Oh, no - I'd have definite withdrawal!!

 

[iluvdiamonds2]

I guess I should try to wash my hands normally.... instead of jewel jet and connosieurs, i guess i'll try the dawn!
i'm tired

 

[motherof3inct]

Gypsy - Why does having a bezel setting matter with the ammonia....or did I read your post wrong. Thanks

 

[iluvdiamonds2]

I washed it in a swooshy mix of Joy in by dipping it in a cup of that soapy water, then warm rinse. Looks sparkly today!
Was thinking of getting new setting as setting is antique (almost 100 yrs old) and it's starting to show. What do u think of that? I feel bad separating the diamond from orig setting...

 

[Pandora II]

I have a little pot with water, dish-soap and a squirt of windex in it. My rings go in at night and get rinsed in the morning - then once a week in the ultrasonic.

 

[Gypsy]

No reason on the bezels. Just stream of conciousness posting.

As for a new setting... whatever makes the piece more wearable for you. Unless it is your DH's families heirloom, then just keep original setting to pass on with diamond so that if the next wearer wants to unite the two they can.

 

[davi_el_mejor]

how would you all recommend cleaning the SO's ringt? The diamond is in a full bezel, the only way to get at the underside is a teeny tiny hole inside the band. Would a good soak be sufficient?

 

[Pandora II]

how would you all recommend cleaning the SO's ringt? The diamond is in a full bezel, the only way to get at the underside is a teeny tiny hole inside the band. Would a good soak be sufficient?

I would soak it in hot water and a mix of dish-soap and windex overnight (if it's gold then skip the windex) then take a very small paintbrush - I prefer the ones for acrylics with the synthetic bristles rather than sable bristle watercolour ones as they are a bit stiffer - and work it round inside the teeny hole with a bit more dish-soap.

Loupe it as you clean it and you should be able to see how it's cleaning up. Putting it through the u/s a few times during the process is also not a bad move.

I cleaned my sister's sapphire e-ring last week. OMG, it was so full of gunk it took nearly half an hour and looked a different colour by the time I'd finished - oh and the diamonds actually sparkled for the first time in months!

 

[davi_el_mejor]

how would you all recommend cleaning the SO's ringt? The diamond is in a full bezel, the only way to get at the underside is a teeny tiny hole inside the band. Would a good soak be sufficient?

I would soak it in hot water and a mix of dish-soap and windex overnight (if it's gold then skip the windex) then take a very small paintbrush - I prefer the ones for acrylics with the synthetic bristles rather than sable bristle watercolour ones as they are a bit stiffer - and work it round inside the teeny hole with a bit more dish-soap.

Loupe it as you clean it and you should be able to see how it's cleaning up. Putting it through the u/s a few times during the process is also not a bad move.

I cleaned my sister's sapphire e-ring last week. OMG, it was so full of gunk it took nearly half an hour and looked a different colour by the time I'd finished - oh and the diamonds actually sparkled for the first time in months!

never would have thought about the small paint brush! What a great idea, thank you

 

[atroop711]

Hot water, dawn, soft toothbrush.

What I do is take hot water, put some dawn in it and leave my rings in there for a little while. Then reach in with the toothbrush give it a nice cleaning, then put it back into soak. After it's had a little while I gently rinse with hot water (but making sure there is something under the ring (like a wire basket) to catch anything that might shake loose (just in case).

ditto this

 

[NOYFB]

I have WG and use a solution of hot water, dish soap, and non-ammonia glass cleaner, with a baby toothbrush. Works like a charm!

 

[Supersleuth50]

The simple and effective way to clean my diamond ring: I use oil to remove oil before using detergent

I have a simple 18k yellow gold solitaire in a six prong setting.

I would be very interested to hear what the professionals on this site think of this method because it is very cheap, quick and simple and doesn’t involve boiling water, commercial jewellery cleaners, ultrasound, or toothbrushes. The results are excellent and, unlike other methods, this method not involve metal expansion/contraction metal fatigue, abrasive chemicals or mechanical damage to the setting.

Items needed:
A. A sink with a plug in it (the plug is very important);
B. Two egg cups;
C. Baby oil - this is basically mineral oil (with a little fragrance added) that is used to oil babies’ skin;
D. Washing-up liquid (I think that this is called dishwashing liquid in America – it’s the stuff you use to manually wash the dishes);
E. Optional: Windolene (this is a window-glass cleaner, other brands include is Mr Muscle and Windex, and contains alcohol/acetone);
F. Supply of water.

Method
1. I place the plug in the sink (very important!).
2. I place my diamond ring in the first egg cup.
3. I pour baby oil into the egg cup until the diamond ring is completely covered.
4. I wait 30 seconds.
5. I remove the ring from the egg cup and rinse the ring thoroughly in cold water.
6. I place the ring in the second egg cup.
7. I pour washing-up liquid (dishwashing liquid) into the egg cup until the ring is covered.
8. I wait 30 seconds.
9. I dilute the washing-up liquid in the egg cup with water (about three parts water to one part washing-up liquid) and gently swirl the liquid.
10. I wait 30 seconds.
11. I remove the ring from the egg cup and thoroughly rinse the ring in cold water.
12. [Optional: I then squirt Windolene glass cleaner on the surface of the diamond and then immediately rinse the ring thoroughly in cold water]
13. I put the ring back on my finger and let the diamond air dry
14. Voila!

Technical bit.
1. Diamonds attract oil. This is inevitable.
2. Oil on the surface of a diamond is easy to remove with detergent providing that the oil hasn’t been there for very long. However, if oil is left on the diamond’s surface for any length of time the oil gradually reacts with air and becomes much more difficult to remove. In short, ‘new’ oil is easy to remove from a diamond but ‘old’ oil is difficult to remove.
3. Oil dissolves in oil (oil is a very good solvent) and therefore that if we dip a diamond covered in old oil into some new unreacted oil then the old oil will dissolve in the new oil and leave the surface. The diamond is now covered in new oil that is easy to remove with detergent.

This principle is already used in cleaning oil and fingerprints off stainless steel.

Miscellaneous
In case you are wondering why I cover the ring with washing-up liquid and then dilute it, I do this because in the UK the washing-up liquid is more viscous than baby oil and so I’m ensuring that the (diluted) washing-up liquid reaches all the areas of the ring that the oil might have adhered to. I’m not sure whether this diluting stage is necessary but I do it anyway. The optional Windolene ensures that there are no smears or deposits from the washing-up liquid left on the surface of the diamond.

Limitations and safety
[Please note that I have only used this method on diamonds and not on other gemstones. I have no information on the long term effects of this method. I have not used this method on white gold or platinum. I have not used this method on pave or complicated settings. I am careful to keep the products mentioned away from my eyes.]

 

[ecf8503]

I just use good old Connoisseur's formula you can get anywhere. Soak, brush, rinse with distilled water, and it's perfectly clean!