Care / protection of platinum

[Holy]

What chemicals, cleaners, soaps, etc., should I avoid while wearing my lovely new platinum (950 platinum/50 ruthenium) wedding band from e-weddingbands.com? Probably a stupid question, since platinum is generally non-reactive.....

Posted in another thread, but just for more visibility I put it here, too. I hope you don''t mind. Thanks!

 

[diamondhunter10]

I am sorry that I can not help you but I am sure that one of the experts will be able to assist. I was wondering if you have a photo of the ring. The reason I ask is that I think that Platinum E-rings are wonderful

 

[mrssalvo]

I''m not an expert but I wore my plain plat. wedding set 24/7 and did everything in it without any problems. I wore it in the pool too just b/c I didn''t know any better. they say that gold/WG can react in chlorine but platinum should be fine. I''d say anything that your bare hands can handle so could the platinum. If you wouldn''t allow something to touch your hands, keep it away from your ring.

 

[niceice]

Excerpts pertaining to platinum care and cleaning:

* Store platinum jewelry separate from other jewelry items so that they do not scratch or get scratched by your other jewelry items. Place your jewelry in a jewelry box or a chamois bag.

* Store your platinum jewelry and other precious items in a safe place such as a personal safe or safety deposit box.

* Maintain adequate insurance for your valuables. If you are unsure about the value of your platinum jewelry and other valuables, take then to an independent appraiser for valuation.

* Clean your platinum jewelry periodically. This will ensure its fine appearance and will help it last.

* Clean platinum in the same way you clean other fine jewelry - using a pre-packaged jewelry cleaner or by soaking it in a mild solution of 50% ammonia and 50% warm water and then gently rubbing it with a soft cloth. Note that harsh chemicals such as ammonia should not be used on gemstones other than diamonds because it may damage them - consult a jewelry professional in-person for specific guidance in this matter as it applies to specific jewelry items.

* Have your platinum jewelry polished and cleaned by a qualified jeweler twice a year and more often if scratches appear. Remember that all metal can be scratched, however with platinum the metal has merely been displaced.

* Take your platinum jewelry to a qualified jeweler twice per year for inspection. Only allow a trained professional jeweler to work on your platinum jewelry! Adjustments, resizing, polishing and cleaning of your platinum jewelry should be provided by a trained bench jeweler. We can''t tell you how many times we have repaired platinum jewelry that has been resized using white gold by some jeweler who should never have been working on a platinum jewelry item to begin with!

* Be aware that over time platinum develops a natural patina that many people prefer over the "just polished" appearance of platinum. When this happens to your platinum jewelry you may take it to a qualified jeweler and have the item polished for that "high gloss" look or simply ask them not to remove the patina if that is your preference.

* Do not wear your platinum or other fine jewelry when doing home cleaning, gardening, or other types of heavy work or manual labor. Jewelry is designed to be decorative, not indestructible.

* Do not wear your platinum or other fine jewelry when working with bleach or other harsh chemicals. Although the chemicals may not affect the platinum, they may discolor diamonds and other gemstones and can cause an allergic reaction with your skin if trapped between the ring and your finger.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Great answers.

 

[anacgarcia]

yeah!! very useful info, thanx!!
Another question, do you know aprox. how much do jewelers charge for repolishing platinum?

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 12/29/2006 1:33:43 PM
Author: anacgarcia
yeah!! very useful info, thanx!!
Another question, do you know aprox. how much do jewelers charge for repolishing platinum?

For a good re-polishing job; complete cleaning, removing dents, tightening stones and prongs and refinish you can expect to pay around $50.It''s about the same charge for similar care when re-rhodium plating WG.

As with all things, choose a place that is reputable and will give a high level of care and quality treatment to your jewelry.

 

[niceice]

Date: 12/29/2006 1:33:43 PM
Author: anacgarcia
yeah!! very useful info, thanx!!

Another question, do you know aprox. how much do jewelers charge for repolishing platinum?

Be sure to select a jeweler who actually works with platinum, they should have a separate bench for working on platinum or at the very least a separate set of polishing wheels because the polishing rouge used for platinum is different than that used for gold.

 

[Shay37]

Todd, you said that one could polish platinum or simply have the patina removed. How does one remove the patina without polishing? Is it a chemical process like detarnishing silver?

shay

 

[Holy]

Date: 12/28/2006 7:35:36 PM
Author: diamondhunter10
I am sorry that I can not help you but I am sure that one of the experts will be able to assist. I was wondering if you have a photo of the ring. The reason I ask is that I think that Platinum E-rings are wonderful

My sister-in-law took some advertisement-quality digital photos of my and my bride''s wedding bands. When I get the photos, I''ll post them here. Unfortunately she didn''t photograph the engagement ring from Good Old Gold. We''ll get photos of it later and post the good ones. It''s a 1.158 AGS0 H&A H SI1. The inclusions are almost all in out-of-the way places. It''s off the charts in scintillation, dispersion, and brightness. It looks huge!

It sounds like the conclusion of all the advice here is that just about nothing will hurt the platinum, but we should be careful with bleach and similar items for the diamond. Correct? Thanks!