Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Cleaning Pave Help

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
October2008bride

October2008bride

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Messages
1,882
Hey everyone!

Okay...so I have a question.

I know that I shouldn''t put my pave/beadset ering into an ultrasonic (one time I did it, I lost 2 stones and they damaged them putting them back in). However, when I received my wedding bands, I noticed that they were noticibly brighter than my ering.

I thought it was the platinum on the ering just being a bit duller, so I went to a jewellery store (I know the owner well) and asked about polishing just the edges of the platinum that border the melee. I obviously was wary of giving it a full polish after what happened last time and with the wedding so soon.

They actually didn''t think the platinum was that dull and didn''t think polishing just the sides would help. Plus there would still be the issue of cleaning the compound out after, and they usually use the ultrasonic for that.

So here is the thing....


How the heck do I clean my ring?! haha

I clean it using a jewellery cleaner and a soft brush. But do you think there is dirt under teh stones that I''m not getting? Or do you think it is that the wedding bands just have whiter diamonds?

Any help would be appreciated!!

I''ll attach two bad pics, but they show the difference that I see. (note that the wedding bands have slightly bigger diamonds).

Blurry but gives idea.jpg
 
One more.

Thanks in advance!

Blurry but another idea5989595.jpg
 
Anybody? Do you think if I put it in an ultrasonic it would help?
 
Date: 9/29/2008 8:06:11 PM
Author: October2008bride
Anybody? Do you think if I put it in an ultrasonic it would help?
Click to expand...
NO NO NO!!! Please do not put pave in an US. I lost a stone and I know others have
The JewelJet can be used for pave though and it is effective.
 
O2008B,

OK, I definitely do see what you are saying... but here''s what I think (from what I can tell in the photos). Looks to me like the e-ring is just showing a lot more METAL and less diamonds; the w-rings are the reverse, because of the setting detail AND the larger size of the stones. Also, perhaps the e-ring is developing a platinum patina, and maybe over time, the w-ring would do the same?

But also, I do know that some platinum is simply a different *color* than other plat. I suppose there''s a technical reason for that.
33.gif
Did the same place make all the rings?
 
Some people like using the u/s for pave b/c they feel they would rather lose a stone in the u/s and physically have the stone in the u/s to fish out and have it reset, versus losing a stone in a random place and not being able to find it. I recall it being said that no matter how well pave is set, sometimes there is a speck of dust or something beneath the stone that one day dislodges and the stone then becomes loose/at risk for loss. Others would prefer not to risk dislodging any dirt, etc with the u/s so avoid the u/s at all costs.

The Salton Spa has been recommended for pave. I do not have any experience with it.

My experience with the Jewel Jet is that the blast is pretty forceful (it has physically knocked my ering out of the tweezer holder thingie more than once, even when I thought I had a really good grasp on it) - I think if a stone were going to come lose in an u/s it would come loose in the Jewel Jet. There is a little basket below the steamer so make sure to use it (and keep a towel in the sink below it just in case your ring goes flying to keep the ring from getting damaged when it lands!)
 
Hmmm...okay. It is possible that it is just the extra metal. It is kind of frustrating though because I wanted them to match! I think over time the wedding bands will patina and that may help.

So you don''t think it is a cleanliness issue? Hmm...
 
Date: 9/29/2008 6:49:07 PM
Author:October2008bride
Hey everyone!


Okay...so I have a question.


I know that I shouldn''t put my pave/beadset ering into an ultrasonic (one time I did it, I lost 2 stones and they damaged them putting them back in). However, when I received my wedding bands, I noticed that they were noticibly brighter than my ering.


I thought it was the platinum on the ering just being a bit duller, so I went to a jewellery store (I know the owner well) and asked about polishing just the edges of the platinum that border the melee. I obviously was wary of giving it a full polish after what happened last time and with the wedding so soon.


They actually didn''t think the platinum was that dull and didn''t think polishing just the sides would help. Plus there would still be the issue of cleaning the compound out after, and they usually use the ultrasonic for that.


So here is the thing....



How the heck do I clean my ring?! haha


I clean it using a jewellery cleaner and a soft brush. But do you think there is dirt under teh stones that I''m not getting? Or do you think it is that the wedding bands just have whiter diamonds?


Any help would be appreciated!!


I''ll attach two bad pics, but they show the difference that I see. (note that the wedding bands have slightly bigger diamonds).
Click to expand...

Gem Car Products for cleaning. NO ULTRASONIC!

If I had to guess about the diamonds, in the picture the ones in your wedding band just look to be better cut. Could be that a good cleaning will help, I can not know that.

Just my guess. For home cleaning, Gem Car Products!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wink
 
Date: 9/29/2008 8:06:11 PM
Author: October2008bride
Anybody? Do you think if I put it in an ultrasonic it would help?
Click to expand...


I put pave in ultrasonic, but I hang the pieces from paperclips. I don''t let them
bounce around the bottom.
 
Date: 9/29/2008 11:42:09 PM
Author: Wink


Gem Car Products for cleaning. NO ULTRASONIC!

If I had to guess about the diamonds, in the picture the ones in your wedding band just look to be better cut. Could be that a good cleaning will help, I can not know that.

Just my guess. For home cleaning, Gem Car Products!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wink
Click to expand...
Hmm...took me a while to figure out that it is GemCare not Gem Car! haha

Do you think using that polish would help on the platinum?

And I agree with the no ultrasonic, but what about that Salton Spa that doesn''t seem to be ultrasonic?
 
Just bumping to see if anyone else had a suggestion on another method of cleaning pave...thanks!
 
I have the Salton Jewelry Spa and I love it!!! The cleansing portion works great. The steam portion is quite strong and I''m paranoid that it will "blow" out a diamond so I try not to do it often and I check my stones before and after I use it.

http://www.jewelryspa.com/

It says they''re sold out. I purchased mine on ebay a few months ago. Someone on PS has a similar product that works the same way (electrochemical, not ultrasonic). I''ll try to search for it.

Hope this helps!
 
Date: 9/30/2008 12:27:02 AM
Author: October2008bride

Date: 9/29/2008 11:42:09 PM
Author: Wink


Gem Car Products for cleaning. NO ULTRASONIC!

If I had to guess about the diamonds, in the picture the ones in your wedding band just look to be better cut. Could be that a good cleaning will help, I can not know that.

Just my guess. For home cleaning, Gem Car Products!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wink
Click to expand...
Hmm...took me a while to figure out that it is GemCare not Gem Car! haha

Do you think using that polish would help on the platinum?

And I agree with the no ultrasonic, but what about that Salton Spa that doesn''t seem to be ultrasonic?
Click to expand...
Aaasck! I need to be a proof reader too...

Yes, the paste works on any metal, including platinum to remove the tarnish, the liquid takes the "cookie dough" off the back of the diamonds...

Wink
 
Date: 10/1/2008 12:52:41 AM
Author: Wink

Aaasck! I need to be a proof reader too...

Yes, the paste works on any metal, including platinum to remove the tarnish, the liquid takes the ''cookie dough'' off the back of the diamonds...

Wink
Click to expand...
Perfect - hey Wink - what do you think of non-vibrating cleaners like the Salton Spa?
 
There is no acceptable excuse for stones coming out of settings beyond sketchy quality control. Yes, they might loosen slightly, but they should never fall out.
If your jewellery cannot be ultrasonically cleaned because stones fall out, you shouldn''t be wearing it until the manufacturer addresses the issue.
If the manufacturers suggest you did something wrong by cleaning in the ultrasonic, I would correct them by suggesting that you did something wrong by givving them your money.
 
Date: 10/1/2008 9:31:16 AM
Author: October2008bride

Date: 10/1/2008 12:52:41 AM
Author: Wink

Aaasck! I need to be a proof reader too...

Yes, the paste works on any metal, including platinum to remove the tarnish, the liquid takes the ''cookie dough'' off the back of the diamonds...

Wink
Click to expand...
Perfect - hey Wink - what do you think of non-vibrating cleaners like the Salton Spa?
Click to expand...
I have never seen them or tried them, so I have no opinion. Many will find it hard to believe that there are some things I have no opinions on, but hey, it happens...

Wink
 
Date: 10/1/2008 10:06:53 AM
Author: TheDoctor
There is no acceptable excuse for stones coming out of settings beyond sketchy quality control. Yes, they might loosen slightly, but they should never fall out.
If your jewellery cannot be ultrasonically cleaned because stones fall out, you shouldn''t be wearing it until the manufacturer addresses the issue.
If the manufacturers suggest you did something wrong by cleaning in the ultrasonic, I would correct them by suggesting that you did something wrong by givving them your money.
Click to expand...

While it is tempting to jump on board and agree with you, I must respectfully dissagree a little.

Once a diamond ring leaves our office we have no control over how it is worn. I constantly see rings that are misshapen from casual wear, you know, like weight lifting, golf, tennis, softball and other things that cause the "Gee, I just can''t figure out what happened", comment when the ring is brought in for repair.

Once those rings have been flexed and flexed and reshaped a few times then it is not necessarily the fault of poor workmanship that the stones now come out in the ultrasonic.

On top of that, I am NOT a fan of non jewelers having ultrasonics to begin with. I have seen too many opals, emeralds, tanzanites and other stones put in them that do not belong in them. Only twice have I seen one of these stones damaged from this, but that was twice too often.

Wink
 
I soke my pave pieces in jewelry cleaner (for a few hours) and then clean them with a soft brush. It seems to do the trick because they are always nice and sparkly afterwards. Pretty rings!
 
Thanks everyone - does anyone have other suggestions? I mean - should I just live with it? Can I rhodium plate the platinum or is that just crazy-talk?

I mean - I clean this thing obessively using my regular jewellery cleaner/conniseures type stuff. I don''t wear it doing anything strenuous or dirty. I don''t sleep wth it on.

I think that LynnB was right also that there is more platinum against the smaller diamonds in the ering so that it is more obvious.

So any other suggestions? Or just live with it?
 
PS I do feel like the darkness comes kind from the ridge that is on either side of the diamonds - maybe rhodium would help that? Ugh...I should let it go, shouldn''t I?
 
Hi there,

I use an ionic cleaner - speed brite - and find it cleans all types of diamond settings really well.

You can also use it to clean pearls, emeralds etc - all stones that cannot be cleaned in ultrasonic cleaners.
 
From the looks of the pictures, it just seems like the diamonds are bigger in the bands, which is why it looks brighter...I am not sure that they ae whiter diamonds than those in the ering (maybe you have the specs to see). But in looking at lots of bands lately, bigger diamonds seem to look brighter than smaller ones surrounded in more metal. In attempting to look at the metal alone, i can't see much difference (from those pictures).

someone suggested rhodium plating...do you think that would help?

Personally, i think your set is really pretty and i like a little contrast between the ering and the bands
1.gif
 
hi October! could it be that your big gorgeous diamond is just casting a big fat shadow over the ering diamonds?
2.gif


i have an itty bitty - as in 1/2 pointers - diamond band that i wear with an ering that has larger sidestones that go from .3 to .1 (i think) and the itty bitties are definitely whiter to my eye than the larger ones in my ering. the itty bitties were said to be F/G and ideal cuts, i am not sure of the ering ones though i believe they were selected to match my stone which is an I, so my guess is that they are G/H/I. they seem very well cut. my point is that given my own experience, what you are seeing may not necessarily be attributable to the size of the stones; do you know the cut and color of your ering stones vs. your band stones?

for your own peace of mind, i hope you find an answer/solution. regardless, however, your set is absolutely gorgeous and i hope you love it as much as we all do!
 
Thanks guys - I''m not sure about the exact specs on the band - I should look into that. Hmm...

Thanks for the advice!

I''m not sure about the rhodium thing - anyone know anything about that?
 
Ditto Lynn B, I bet your wedding bands look brighter because they have bigger diamonds and less metal. I clean my pave rings with the $5 jewelry cleaner (ammonia based) and a soft toothbrush. Then I rinse and wipe it off. If you do think frequently you won''t get gunk build up.
 
Date: 10/2/2008 9:32:32 AM
Author: October2008bride
PS I do feel like the darkness comes kind from the ridge that is on either side of the diamonds - maybe rhodium would help that? Ugh...I should let it go, shouldn''t I?
Click to expand...
Since the purpose of the rhodium is to make the metal look white like platinum and if I remember correctly your ring is platinum, that will not likely make any difference. From what I can see in your photos, I believe the difference is in the cutting of the smalls. I could easily be wrong, but that is what I think.

Wink
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top