Good home diamond cleaning system?

[Prothius]

I''m preparing for the arrival of my E-Ring, and was wondering if anyone knew a good jewelry cleaning kit for at home. I heard that ultrasonic is a good way to go, but I know they use pressurized steam at the jewelry stores after ultrasonic. Anyone know of a cost effective solution for us consumers? Or do any of you pros sell such a kit that I can look at on your website?

Thanks,

Prothius

 

[KittyTiger]

Hi,




I have an ultrasonic cleaner, very small. It does wonders! Here is the site I got it from: http://jewelrysupply.com/noframes/cleaners.htm It's the one on sale for $54.98.




And even though it says no heat, the water get VERY hot after a while.. The ultrasonic cleaner get all the soap scum, dirty stuff out from under too!

 

[icelady]

Hi Prothius,

I don't have an ultrasonic cleaner, but my gemologist recommended using a solution of half Mr. Clean (yes, that is the bald headed guy!) and half water, heated in the microwave (the solution only NOT the ring-just had to clarify!). I soak them overnight and use a soft toothbrush to scrub it and rinse it in hot water. It really sparkles and the Mr. Clean cuts the grease and grime.

 

[Prothius]

Wow, I would have never assumed using Mr. Clean. Have you ever compared the results of using that solution rather than taking it in to the jewelers or using an ultrasonic? It it works just as good, that's probably the most cost effective solution for the long run. I have also taken a look at the inexpensive ultrasonic cleaner in the post above yours, and that looks like a good option, but I don't know if others have experience with the different cleaning methods to determine which is the actual best?

If no one has, I might buy both of them and do a little study on which one looks the best. I also found some other cleaners out there by Gemcare and another group that uses what look like alkaseltzer tablets to do the cleaning. A lot of options out there.

 

[KittyTiger]

Hi again

The reason I use the ultrasonic is because a lot of time on the underside of the diamond I get soap scum, lotion, and really dirty stuff stuck down there. The reaon is because I NEVER take off my jewlery when I clean my hands in public. They "do" get lost. So, I've noticed.. soaking it is not enough when I get some really hard to clean stuff stuck in the there. The ultrasonic cleaner has 42,000 waves per "second". and they get every little last spec off of your diamond. It comes out just the like when the jewlers clean for you. Soaking will get most of the dirty stuff off... but you'll still need to take it in if you want the occasional sparkle..




just my .02

 

[Heyjud]

I believe Alka Seltzer would be abrasive and stong
Use dishwashing liquid, preferably DAWN.

A little warm water and a drop or two
The diamond will sparkle and glow like new !

 

[harleywoman]

I've worked for many jewelers and my husband is one and all of the above suggestions are good, but everybody forgot one very important thing. Before you rinse the cleaner off your ring, be sure to put some kind of strainer over the drain in your sink in case a stone is loosened during cleaning. If you don't have a sieve you can make a good, fine mesh one by putting panty hose over a regular small strainer and putting it in your sink drain. There's nothing worse than watching one of your precious diamonds go down the drain.

 

[icelady]

Good point HW!

 

[bacon]

Soak your ring in some warm water with dish soap while you do your girl stuff at night. Swish it, rinse it and dry. Some dip it alcohol to draw away the water and dry the ring without spots.

If the ring is impacted with dirt take it to a professional.

 

[kpebbles]

i use an ultrasonic cleaner that i bought from sharper image for about $80. it works wonders! i use a dilute solution of ammonia and water and everything comes out super sparkly.. you can see all the nasty dirt & grease that comes out..

but i do remember reading on here that ultrasonic cleaners could be bad?? is it ok for our diamonds to vibrate against the settings?

 

[mike04456]

----------------
On 1/15/2004 5:43:18 PM kpebbles wrote:





but i do remember reading on here that ultrasonic cleaners could be bad?? is it ok for our diamonds to vibrate against the settings?
----------------

They are fine for diamonds. They are not good for a lot of other gems like emeralds, tanzanite, topaz, and pearls, which can be damaged or destroyed by them.

 

[Patty]

Doesn't anyone use that pink stuff you buy at Target?

 

[icelady]

Yes Patty, in addition to using Mr. Clean and water I do use the pink stuff from Target. The stuff I use is by Connoisseurs. I like the gel one with the brush inside the screw cap. It really makes my diamonds sparkly too!

 

[KittyTiger]

Actually the ultrasonic cleaner is not that rough. If you stick your finger in the water.. you just feel little pricks. And when you put the ring on the bottom of the container, the ring just sits there. It doesn't really move around or anything.. So, I don't think it's bad for our diamonds. I've also asked many jewlers about this .. and they've all told me it's okay.

 

[iceprincess]

I spoke to Barry from Superbcert about this last week and he recommended soaking your ring in a shallow dish with simple 70% alcohol. To get out the crud, he recommended using a soft bristle brush to gently get it off. He said he preferred the alcohol method over the ultrasonic cleaners b/c of the potential for the u/s cleaners to loosen stones.

 

[icelady]

I have been told that many times over the years Iceprincess!

(the part about the U/S cleaners!)

 

[Hest88]

I have an ultrasonic cleaner I bought from Rocdoc but I usually use a solution of about 1/2 sudsy ammonia and half water in one of those jewelry cleaner containers (that used to contain the pink stuff). I soak it a bit or overnight and scrub with the little toothbrush thingy that's already in the container. (Do jewelers give out jewelry cleaner anymore? I used to have jars and jars from when I bought my stone.) It's really cheap and effective.

The ultrasonic I pull out every few months. If I didn't have a basket setting--which is harder to clean underneath than a regular pronged setting--I'd probably never use it at all, 'cause the above method works just as well. But then, I never get anything really yucky on my ring anyway. Personally, I'd suggest that if you don't have a basket setting or if your setting isn't particularly ornate, to save your money.

 

[Griffin]

This may sound hokey, but as someone who works with an ultrasonic daily, I haven't used "proper" hangers, racks, or solutions for years.
Most effective I've found is a solution of standard ammonia, as much as you can stand the smell of, and water. The heated tanks in pro units help immeasurably, but I assume you could pre-heat the water first to put in a home unit.
Use bits of wire to suspend pieces properly - no baskets, they attenuate the already weak pulses from a small unit. Don't let pieces rest on the bottom, it is far less effective than being freely suspended.

Sapphire, Garnet, Diamonds, etc. are fine, but LawGem is right - keep emeralds and other softer stones he mentioned out. Add Opal and Coral to his list too!