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Cleaning Between Diamond + Prongs

Gnmu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
23
I'm the lucky owner of a beautiful solitaire ring. The only issue recently, is I've noticed there are what looks like "bubbles" in the diamond. I've tried cleaning it with dishwater+water+toothbrush many times, but I think the issue is that the dirt is between the prong setting and the diamond! However, I can't get into this part because it's completely flush with the diamond! (The prongs have a small metal band that connect them around the lower pavilion). Do you think the Jeweler will be able to clean this or are they going to have to remove the diamond from the setting? :think:
 

denverappraiser

Ideal_Rock
Trade
Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
9,150
Jewelers usually have some pretty aggressive cleaning tools and usually, they'll clean your things for free, even if they didn't sell it. Pay one a visit and ask.
 

JaneDough

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2019
Messages
69
Gnmu were you able to get it clean?

I’ve noticed a similar thing recently where the facets on the lower half of the diamond where the prongs meet the diamond were looking grimy even tho it’s been less than a month. I’ve been cleaning the ring often with blue Dawn soap, hot water and a baby toothbrush but it still looked less crisp and clear compared to when I first saw the ring. The prongs adhere completely to the diamond so it’s difficult for me to clean between them. I gave the ring a longer soak in isopropyl alcohol today and let it air dry, and it did the trick! Before I didn’t know better and after rinsing in alcohol I re-rinsed under normal water. Oops! I don’t see that griminess anymore =)2.
 

Gnmu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
23
Gnmu were you able to get it clean?

I’ve noticed a similar thing recently where the facets on the lower half of the diamond where the prongs meet the diamond were looking grimy even tho it’s been less than a month. I’ve been cleaning the ring often with blue Dawn soap, hot water and a baby toothbrush but it still looked less crisp and clear compared to when I first saw the ring. The prongs adhere completely to the diamond so it’s difficult for me to clean between them. I gave the ring a longer soak in isopropyl alcohol today and let it air dry, and it did the trick! Before I didn’t know better and after rinsing in alcohol I re-rinsed under normal water. Oops! I don’t see that griminess anymore =)2.
Hey JaneDough! Funny you should say that, because I actually ended up trying that as well. I ended up concluding that the minerals in the water itself deposited on the stone, but purified liquid like rubbing alcohol would work; which it did.

However, I've now found that Windex works even better! In addition, I've bought these really tiny 20/0 paintbrushes to get into the nook and cranies of the ring. Look for a stiffer brush for easier cleaning.
 

JaneDough

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2019
Messages
69
Thanks for replying! I shall try windex next. I think I have a paintbrush that size too. I’ll have to give it a try. It can never get too clean?!
 

Gnmu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
23
Just be careful or the only thing good enough will be an IF clarity stone. :mrgreen2:
 

motownmama

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jan 9, 2008
Messages
8,207
Ultrasonic. To ME nothing compares, although I know many others prefer their methods
 

Gnmu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
23
Ultrasonic. To ME nothing compares, although I know many others prefer their methods

Ah, the wonders of an ultrasonic. Unfortunately, I have pave on my ring and am deathly scared of having the pave fall out haha. Even though I just go to the jeweler and have it put in an ultrasonic as well...
 

Demon

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
1,790
Ultrasonic. To ME nothing compares, although I know many others prefer their methods

Yep. Even though I cleaned my rings frequently, and scrub the heck out of them (with a regular adult toothbrush - they don't get babied, lol) I would still see stuff on them, and always in the same reflection. Once I got the ultrasonic - those spots are gone.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,225
I worked in an aerospace laboratory over 20 years where they soldered electronic gizmos for NASA.
They were constantly cleaning off flux from tiny parts.

Obviously the ultrasonic was often used.

But some parts had hundreds of individual components that had to be hand soldered.
Instead of waiting for the US cleaner to do it's thing hundreds of times they had a faster way to clean as to go.
Then a long US cleaning at the end.

After soldering one part the assemblers would immediately do the following.
They'd fill a brush with isopropyl alcohol and scrub the part.
Next came the most important part which is the most important thing I'm posting about.
While the part of is still wet with the alcohol (which is then contaminated with the dissolved gunk) they'd use compressed air (actually nitrogen) to blow off the contaminated liquid.

Why not just let it air dry?
Because gunk doesn't evaporate.
It remains, especially collecting in the nooks and crannies of the part.
Everything gets inspected under $15,000 Zeiss stereo microscopes.
If you let it evaporate - when you zoom in on the leads of components (like prongs of a setting) you'd see great concentrations of the dried gunk residue.

Same with cleaning your diamond ring.
Air drying is bad.
Drying with a cloth is bad.
Both leave contaminated liquid to cake up next to the prongs.

So, what's a girl to do?
Buy canned air.
Blow off the contaminated cleaning fluid immediately after brushing.
This even applies to ultrasonic cleaning, because that fluid just got contaminated by the gunk in the jewelry it cleaned.

Canned air ain't cheap.
I buy 6-packs of it at Costco for a fraction of the price of one can at a store.
6 large cans is only $18 or so.
 

Gnmu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
23
I worked in an aerospace laboratory over 20 years where they soldered electronic gizmos for NASA.
They were constantly cleaning off flux from tiny parts.

Obviously the ultrasonic was often used.

But some parts had hundreds of individual components that had to be hand soldered.
Instead of waiting for the US cleaner to do it's thing hundreds of times they had a faster way to clean as to go.
Then a long US cleaning at the end.

After soldering one part the assemblers would immediately do the following.
They'd fill a brush with isopropyl alcohol and scrub the part.
Next came the most important part which is the most important thing I'm posting about.
While the part of is still wet with the alcohol (which is then contaminated with the dissolved gunk) they'd use compressed air (actually nitrogen) to blow off the contaminated liquid.

Why not just let it air dry?
Because gunk doesn't evaporate.
It remains, especially collecting in the nooks and crannies of the part.
Everything gets inspected under $15,000 Zeiss stereo microscopes.
If you let it evaporate - when you zoom in on the leads of components (like prongs of a setting) you'd see great concentrations of the dried gunk residue.

Same with cleaning your diamond ring.
Air drying is bad.
Drying with a cloth is bad.
Both leave contaminated liquid to cake up next to the prongs.

So, what's a girl to do?
Buy canned air.
Blow off the contaminated cleaning fluid immediately after brushing.
This even applies to ultrasonic cleaning, because that fluid just got contaminated by the gunk in the jewelry it cleaned.

Canned air ain't cheap.
I buy 6-packs of it at Costco for a fraction of the price of one can at a store.
6 large cans is only $18 or so.

I forgot to add I also do this step, after I brush with the Windex. Instead of canned air though I use one of those camera lens dusters. I'm sure there's contaminants in there, but it's not enough that it's bothered me so far.
 

MamaBee

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 31, 2018
Messages
14,480
I worked in an aerospace laboratory over 20 years where they soldered electronic gizmos for NASA.
They were constantly cleaning off flux from tiny parts.

Obviously the ultrasonic was often used.

But some parts had hundreds of individual components that had to be hand soldered.
Instead of waiting for the US cleaner to do it's thing hundreds of times they had a faster way to clean as to go.
Then a long US cleaning at the end.

After soldering one part the assemblers would immediately do the following.
They'd fill a brush with isopropyl alcohol and scrub the part.
Next came the most important part which is the most important thing I'm posting about.
While the part of is still wet with the alcohol (which is then contaminated with the dissolved gunk) they'd use compressed air (actually nitrogen) to blow off the contaminated liquid.

Why not just let it air dry?
Because gunk doesn't evaporate.
It remains, especially collecting in the nooks and crannies of the part.
Everything gets inspected under $15,000 Zeiss stereo microscopes.
If you let it evaporate - when you zoom in on the leads of components (like prongs of a setting) you'd see great concentrations of the dried gunk residue.

Same with cleaning your diamond ring.
Air drying is bad.
Drying with a cloth is bad.
Both leave contaminated liquid to cake up next to the prongs.

So, what's a girl to do?
Buy canned air.
Blow off the contaminated cleaning fluid immediately after brushing.
This even applies to ultrasonic cleaning, because that fluid just got contaminated by the gunk in the jewelry it cleaned.

Canned air ain't cheap.
I buy 6-packs of it at Costco for a fraction of the price of one can at a store.
6 large cans is only $18 or so.

@kenny What about using a blow dryer on cool? I will buy the cans but in the meantime will that work?
 

Gnmu

Rough_Rock
Joined
Apr 26, 2018
Messages
23
@kenny What about using a blow dryer on cool? I will buy the cans but in the meantime will that work?

I've personally tried a blow dryer. However. I find it's too large to target any nooks and crannies. A can or a camera lens dusters has a small nozzle for precise, fast air bursts. Though, if you don't have nooks and crannies blow dryer works fine probably.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,225
@kenny What about using a blow dryer on cool? I will buy the cans but in the meantime will that work?

Nope.
A hair dryer can't produce enough air pressure to blow the liquid off the diamond.
Regardless of temp setting it will just speed up the evaporation of the liquid, leaving you a diamond with gunk near the prongs in record time.
 

Demon

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Feb 16, 2009
Messages
1,790
I bought a metro vac air duster. Works great.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,225
I've personally tried a blow dryer. However. I find it's too large to target any nooks and crannies. A can or a camera lens dusters has a small nozzle for precise, fast air bursts. Though, if you don't have nooks and crannies blow dryer works fine probably.

You wrote, "Though, if you don't have nooks and crannies blow dryer works fine probably."

I respectfully disagree.

While some diamond settings have more nooks and crannies than others, ALL settings, even a tension setting, touch the diamond.
During evaporation (in still air or mildly moving air from a hair dryer) contaminated liquid will collect (evaporate last) wherever metal touches the diamond.
To get the cleanest diamond you must use high air pressure to blow away all the contaminated liquid immediately.

Again this principle was an explicit part of the training I received when working for a NASA contractor.
I'm not making this up.
Also I have experience inspecting zillions of soldering jobs for contamination under high-end microscopes.
When finding gunk it was my job to go back to the assembler and retrain him or her on the cleaning process that removes all gunk.
 

JaneDough

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2019
Messages
69
I worked in an aerospace laboratory over 20 years where they soldered electronic gizmos for NASA.
They were constantly cleaning off flux from tiny parts.

Obviously the ultrasonic was often used.

But some parts had hundreds of individual components that had to be hand soldered.
Instead of waiting for the US cleaner to do it's thing hundreds of times they had a faster way to clean as to go.
Then a long US cleaning at the end.

After soldering one part the assemblers would immediately do the following.
They'd fill a brush with isopropyl alcohol and scrub the part.
Next came the most important part which is the most important thing I'm posting about.
While the part of is still wet with the alcohol (which is then contaminated with the dissolved gunk) they'd use compressed air (actually nitrogen) to blow off the contaminated liquid.

Why not just let it air dry?
Because gunk doesn't evaporate.
It remains, especially collecting in the nooks and crannies of the part.
Everything gets inspected under $15,000 Zeiss stereo microscopes.
If you let it evaporate - when you zoom in on the leads of components (like prongs of a setting) you'd see great concentrations of the dried gunk residue.

Same with cleaning your diamond ring.
Air drying is bad.
Drying with a cloth is bad.
Both leave contaminated liquid to cake up next to the prongs.

So, what's a girl to do?
Buy canned air.
Blow off the contaminated cleaning fluid immediately after brushing.
This even applies to ultrasonic cleaning, because that fluid just got contaminated by the gunk in the jewelry it cleaned.

Canned air ain't cheap.
I buy 6-packs of it at Costco for a fraction of the price of one can at a store.
6 large cans is only $18 or so.

Amazing! Hahha I need to get some canned air. My partner will think I’ve gone off the deep end!
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,225
Gotta ad two things.

1. Hold onto your ring tightly. That canned air comes out at very high pressure, especially when new. I hold it around an inch from the diamond.

2. How clean is clean enough?

On PS we often talk about eye-clean vs. mind-clean when it comes to diamond clarity grade.
Many people feel it's a waste to pay for a higher clarity than eye-clean to the naked eye.
Others, even after being fully informed that higher clarity does not improve the light performance, still want the higher clarity even if not from a culture that teaches that.
I'm one of those.

Blowing contaminated fluid off instead of allowing it to evaporate will absolutely make your diamond cleaner.
Microscopes will prove it, and diamonds cut recipes that optimize light performance assume air to diamond surface that are not contaminated because contamination changes the index of refraction.
I've read experts here state that surface contamination affects the angle of light rays when they hit that air to diamond interface.
Light not going where the cut recipe intends for it to go means not getting 100% of the light performance you paid for.

But is canned air worth the trouble and expense?
Can a mortal without a microscope even see the difference.
Hard to say.

But being a mind-clean kinda guy, I want ALL of the diamond performance I paid for.
The next person may judge canned air to not be worth the trouble.
People vary.
 
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JaneDough

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 17, 2019
Messages
69
Has anyone used Dust remover compressed air? It’s made by a grand & Toy and states it contains a bitterant to discourage inhalant abuse. I’m wondering if it’s the same thing?

Thank you!
 

the_mother_thing

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 2, 2013
Messages
6,306
It may depend on how ‘particular’ one is, but FWIW - unless I’m taking macro-shots of my diamond - my hair dryer does the job just fine, though it’s a high-power unit and I use the concentrator that came with it to really blow the liquid off vs. spread it out/about as described above.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,225
Has anyone used Dust remover compressed air? It’s made by a grand & Toy and states it contains a bitterant to discourage inhalant abuse. I’m wondering if it’s the same thing?

Thank you!

Good point; thanks for bringing that up.

FWIW, the label for the canned air sold at Costco (Dust-Off Duster 12 oz) states it already has "bitterant" for that purpose.
Again, I've found Costco's 6-packs to be way cheaper than canned air for sale elsewhere.
Oddly their 12-pack online is more expensive, plus there's shipping.
 
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