isn''t it dangerous?

[Stephan]

I went to a jeweler with my friend to have a custom setting made for him.
(He just bought the 0.70 Infinity H&A I was talking about in another topic.)
The jeweler wanted to make a setting with prongs and a sort of basket.
When I asked the jeweler to leave some space between the basket and the stone so we could clean the diamond with a brush, he answered that he could do it.
But he also said:
"You don't need a brush. Just put your ring in 1/3 bleach, 2/3 water and boil!"
Isn't that bad for gold?????????

 

[JC]

I don''t know about bleach. That may be a little risky. I would simply use some warm soapy water. You could probably find some nice jewelry cleaning solution as well that would be safe.

 

[Stephan]

Date: 4/13/2005 11:46

2 AM
Author: JC
I would simply use some warm soapy water. You could probably find some nice jewelry cleaning solution as well that would be safe.

But if the pavilion is not accessible with a brush, will these solutions clean a dirty pavilion without boiling?

 

[JC]

Maybe, maybe not. However, before you apply possible harmful chemicals to the ring I woud at least give it a try. Remember, most customers only get their ring cleaned a few times per year. So I would recommend just taking your ring into a jeweler to have cleaned. It only takes minutes to do, and most won''t even charge you anything. Especially if your taking your ring back into the store where you made the purchase. I''ve heard of the "boil" method before, but not with bleach.

 

[cflutist]

Bleach contains chlorine which will pit gold alloys. I wouldn''t do it.

 

[Stephan]

Date: 4/13/2005 12:22:41 PM
Author: cflutist
Bleach contains chlorine which will pit gold alloys. I wouldn''t do it.

Thank you both for your reply.
Yes, I heard that too but it''s also not the first time that a jeweler tell me to use bleach.
Well, I think we can boil rings with a little liquid soap.

 

[RockDoc]

Why do people reading this forum try to come up with home made "remedies" for cleaning ?????


Here''s an item that costs generally thousands of dollars, and may have far more emotional value, and try to use cleaners that aren''t specifically designed for cleaning gold or jewelry.

There are a lot of cleaners formulated to clean gemstones and jewelry properly. Some are a little costly, but they reduce any risk of negative results.

Invest in proper cleaners both in strongly considering an ultrasonic/ or ionic cleaner and a small steamer. These are available at very reasonable prices, and use detergent/cleaner that are formulated for cleaning stones and metals properly.

Also consider having the ring professionally cleaned which is far better when done by an experienced person than at home.

I have seen many rings that have had prong "damage" because consumers simply cleaned their items the wrong way. I ahve seen stones that lost their color or change the color dramatically.

The home cleaning machines are good between professional cleanings and checking for the conditions of the prongs/ settings etc., but jewelry and gemstones should be treated with the attention they really require.

Bleach certainly can pit gold rings. Even swimming in a chlorinated pool can gradually deteriorate rings. By the time you can really see the affects, its generally too late. You can''t reverse the damage to stones or mountings, and usually by the time anything negative happens, and you notice it, the damage is done.

Rockdoc

 

[Stephan]

Date: 4/13/2005 12:50:38 PM
Author: RockDoc
Why do people reading this forum try to come up with home made ''remedies'' for cleaning ?????

I don''t try anything.
I only tell you what a few jeweler say, but I don''t dare to use bleach.

I have an ultrasonic cleaner and I don''t use it because I did try it on a dirty ring and it didn''t work so good, even with jewelry cleaning product.
I also found a couple of topics where people tell us how diamonds went loose using such an ultrasonic cleaner.

Especially for bezel set diamonds, when it''s difficult to brush the pavilion, I think that boiling with a little liquid soap couldn''t harm the ring.

Am I wrong?

I agree that the best cleaning is at your jewelry, but if you come every week, they could feel bored...

 

[denverappraiser]

Date: 4/13/2005 11:12:58 AM
Author:Stephan

''You don''t need a brush. Just put your ring in 1/3 bleach, 2/3 water and boil!''
Isn''t that bad for gold?????????

DO NOT DO THIS !!!!

One of the primary ingredients in most commercial bleaches is chlorine. Chlorine gas is serious poison. Boiling a clorine solution is pushing your luck in a big way. This is dreadful advice.


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[MissAva]

I would say bleach is a bad plan but only becuase of an article i read on another web site about it eating someones wedding bands....

 

[Michael_E]

The biggest problem with using chlorine in this way is not in the boiling, but in the metallurgy of white golds and their tendency to be sensitive to stress corrosion cracking when exposed to strongly oxidizing compounds like chlorine and bromine. Basically you can expect the tips of your prongs to fracture and break if the ring is left in this solution for a long enough period. The worst of it is that it may look just fine. The next thing you know all of the prongs are broken and the stones are lost.
I once had a cutomer bring one of those dinner rings in with about 20 diamonds in individual heads that she had soaked in a warm chlorine solution overnight. It had a very interesting appearance in that all of the diamonds were out of their settings and some of the copper rich areas down in the depths of the ring were the most beautiful green color. I suppose that you''re getting the drift by now that this is a bad idea.
I''d also be kind of leary of anyone who wants to set any stone down against the top rail of a basket setting. It''s bad practice as it makes cleaning difficult even with an ultrasound and on softer stones can cause chipping on the pavilion facet edges.

 

[Stephan]

Thank you all for your replies!!!

I will use ammonia with water.
This is not susdy ammonia, and I can''t find any percentage on the bottle.
The only thing I could read was "Can burn your skin" (in French).
With this kind of ammonia, should I still use 1/2 ammonia + 1/2 water?
Or is plain ammonia (I guess you call it so) to strong for this kind of solution?