How to keep a sapphire clean?

[sebas]

Hi everyone,

Nice to see everyone making beautiful sapphire purchases. I was curious how everyone keeps their sapphire engagement rings clean? We have been using a very soft bristle tooth brush and some warm/hot water with dawn dish detergent. We *try* to clean it once every 2 weeks. Any thoughts on how to keep the gem clean?

 

[periwinklegirl]

I routinely stick mine under a very hot tap and scrub at the back of the stone with a soft interdental toothbrush (like a little pipcleaner). Shines it right up!

 

[bcavitt]

Sapphires are very durable, so any reasonable method of cleaning should suffice. Most commercial jewelry cleaning solutions are fine using a soft toothbrush to clean the nooks and crannies of the ring.

 

[T L]

Hi everyone,

Nice to see everyone making beautiful sapphire purchases. I was curious how everyone keeps their sapphire engagement rings clean? We have been using a very soft bristle tooth brush and some warm/hot water with dawn dish detergent. We *try* to clean it once every 2 weeks. Any thoughts on how to keep the gem clean?

That's exactly what I do to keep mine clean, but I clean them every two days, instead of every two weeks. Smudges and dirt drive me nuts. Just make sure your stones are well set, and prongs are secure. I probably should clean mine less often, but I love sparkle.

The other issue is that if you wash your hands, they get smudges. Hand soap, and water makes them look duller.

I don't use commercial cleaners on hard stones. Dish soap, a soft toothbrush and hot water to rinse is what I use. Most of my stones are a 7 or harder, so a soft toothbrush should suffice. It also gets in those crevices behind the stone and between melee.

I use a paper towel to dry them off. I pat them dry and you can let them dry off a few remaining minutes on a dry paper towel.

 

[sebas]

Thanks everyone! Am I correct that sonication is something to be done very seldom as it loosens the diamond melee?

 

[T L]

Thanks everyone! Am I correct that sonication is something to be done very seldom as it loosens the diamond melee?

Yes, and it can make feathers and other internal cracks larger, even in diamonds. I don't recommend sonic cleaning at all.

 

[chrono]

I prefer to clean every day; a quick drop into an ammonia-free commercial solution before I shower, then once done, I give it a quick brush, rinse & pat dry. Most sapphires can handle an ultrasonic cleaning. Compressed air helps dry your stone while keeping it spot free.

 

[sebas]

I prefer to clean every day; a quick drop into an ammonia-free commercial solution before I shower, then once done, I give it a quick brush, rinse & pat dry. Most sapphires can handle an ultrasonic cleaning. Compressed air helps dry your stone while keeping it spot free.

You mentioned ammonia-free commercial solution, why is that? I just looked up Dawn and apparently it has ammonia in it.

 

[chrono]

Ammonia isn't good for gold jewellery; it can cause porosity issues over time.

 

[PrecisionGem]

Rubbing alcohol works great. I clean every stone after cutting with this, and a cotton swab (Q-tip). For a stone that is set, the fibers on the swab may get lodged in your prongs, so a brush may be better.

 

[chrono]

I've often read a recommendation of 1 part ammonia-free Mr. Clean to 3 parts water solution.

Thought this might be an interesting read even though the question is related to cleaning diamonds.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ammonia-and-white-gold.133761/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/ammonia-and-white-gold.133761/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cleaning-with-ammonia-again.122048/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/cleaning-with-ammonia-again.122048/[/URL]

 

[rubymd]

I have a decent espresso machine at home. I use my steam wand to clean off my rubies. I soak them first for a few minutes then steam each piece. I got a pair of thongs for steaming at an intergem show. They have rubber on the tips. Once I am done steaming them I pat them down a tiny bit. They come out great. The key is bleeding the steam wand first. Which just means running it empty into a cup. Any built up water will come out during the bleeding porcesss.

 

[smilligan]

I prefer to clean every day; a quick drop into an ammonia-free commercial solution before I shower, then once done, I give it a quick brush, rinse & pat dry. Most sapphires can handle an ultrasonic cleaning. Compressed air helps dry your stone while keeping it spot free.

You mentioned ammonia-free commercial solution, why is that? I just looked up Dawn and apparently it has ammonia in it.

Dawn does not contain ammonia, but for some reason, a lot of people seem to believe it does. Refer to the MSDS for hazard information: http://www.pg.com/productsafety/search_results.php?searchtext=Dawn&category=msds&submit=Search.... If a product does contain ammonia, it will be listed under Composition and Ingredients.

ETA: The main problems with using ammonia are that it can eat away rhodium plating on WG and tarnish/ruin sterling silver and other metals that aren't gold or platinum. It's also quite dangerous depending on the concentration and ventilation conditions. For example, mixing up some ammonia and hot water in a bathroom with no vent and the door closed is a bad idea. Other than that, it can cause burns/skin irritation.

 

[wordie89]

That is so funny but sounds like a good way to clean your ring using tongs and the milk steamer on rings! Thanks for all the helpful hints on keeping that sparkly stuff sparkly year round. Merry Christmas to everyone.

 

[chrono]

Word of caution why a kettle steamer or milk steamer isn't advisable for most jewellery items:
1. Most gemstones cannot handle the sudden change of temperature and could end up with a surprise crack or have an existing feather grow larger.
2. The water used could have impurities and can end up making the gem dirtier than before.

Please use a proper jewellery steamer if you want to steam your diamonds. I think the only coloured stone that can be safely steamed is sapphires.

 

[minousbijoux]

I have regularly used jeweler's cleanser to clean my platinum, pave and sapphire ring. I soak it, then brush it gently, rinse it under warm water, and finally pat it dry with a cotton towel. And it was after I had done my typical cleaning ritual that I first noticed that one of the stones from the pave has gone missing. Its not like its a new ring - in fact its closing in on a decade of wear, I believe - but still that caused my heart to shudder...