Keeping Asschers Clean

[ringsearch]

Hopefully someone who has an Asscher can answer this question for me. My girlfriend and I looked at rings the other day and she fell in love with Asscher shaped diamonds. But after reading this board she expressed some concern about keeping it clean. She isn''t the type of person that would clean a ring daily, maybe once every few weeks. Will this be enough to keep the ring looking good, or would she need to clean it more often? She doesn''t want to get a ring and constantly feel like it''s dirty or not as beautiful as it could be.

 

[pinkflamingo]

has she considered getting an ultrasonic cleaner? it is very easy to use.

hate to break it to you, but any diamond that is only cleaned once every few weeks is not going to look good. kind of OT, and not referring to you in particular, but it always confuses me why people concern themselves with high clarity in a stone when the stone always looks like an I2 because it is so dirty.

eta: i never thought i would need to scrub the ring daily, but it looks dramatically worse the longer it goes without a good scrub. i give it a good scrub daily.

 

[ringsearch]

I guess I don''t really even know how you clean a diamond ring. How often should they be cleaned and with an asscher specifically does this need to be done more often.

I agree with you on the clarity thing.

 

[SuzyQZ]

I'm pretty obsessive about keeping my rings clean. I clean them everyday. My question to you would be, why wouldn't your fiancee/wife want to keep her ring as clean as it can be?

I look at it this way, my husband sacrificed and saved for a long time to be able to buy me my rings. He sees my rings as a reflection of his love for me, they speak of the fact that I am the love of his live and he wants to give me the absolute best that he can. I, in turn, want to keep my rings always looking their best so that they always represent/reflect upon him in the very best way. I would never want to tell someone looking at my ring, "Oh my diamond is dirty, it actually looks much better clean!" I would just always keep it clean.

It seems to me that if your fiancee/wife is not that into diamonds and if keeping them clean is seen as a chore, then maybe you should spend your money elsewhere. I'm sure there are other things that newlyweds need and if diamonds are not her thing, then use your money on what's important to the both of you, not what society dictates. i.e, diamonds.

I happen to really love diamonds, my husband really loves me, so he gives me what I like to make me happy. If I loved shoes, I'm sure my closet would be full to the brim, but I'm a diamond girl, so there you go.

I hope you don't take offense at what I've said here, because that is not my intention at all. It's just that I REALLY appreciate what my husband has given me and I am proud to show it off to the world, always looking its best. Never do I think of it as a chore or imposition.

It's like a guy washing his car by hand. Many guys just LOVE doing that. Why? Because the car is precious to them. So, is my ring. Your fiancee/wife may change her mind once she has a pretty sparkly on her finger. She just may turn into a compulsive every day cleaner like many of us here on PS!

 

[SuzyQZ]

Date: 7/5/2006 12:58:14 PM
Author: ringsearch
I guess I don't really even know how you clean a diamond ring. How often should they be cleaned and with an asscher specifically does this need to be done more often.

I agree with you on the clarity thing.

I think Ultrasonic is best (if you don't have pave in your ring) use a little amonia and dishwashing liquid then once a week follow up with a Jewel Jet type of steam cleaner to reach that ultimate "squeaky cleanness".

A diamond by its nature attracts dirt and grease like a magnet. All diamonds, regardless of the cut, will attract oil, dirt and grease. Simple things like hand lotion, soap scum, body oils from your skin, will stick to your diamond like glue. This is just the nature of the beast.

I would clean at the very least a couple of times a week otherwise the diamonds will start to look lifeless and lose their sparkle.

 

[Ellen]

I don''t have an Asscher, but I do have an emerald cut, close enough. When I started looking for my upgrade, I wanted an Asscher, I still do. But I already knew how hard it is to keep a step cut clean and looking nice. Honestly, I can clean my EC right before I leave the house, and by the time I get in the car, it''s smudged. Besides driving me crazy, it really takes away from the beauty, which is why you wear it.

So, I went with a round. I''ll hopefully get my Asscher someday as a RHR. But there was no way I personally had the patience to deal with one on an every day basis. I''m not sure if your girlfriend is either. Just something to think about.

 

[decodelighted]

I have an Asscher & I''m not super-active ring cleaner. I know the cut looks its best when it''s freshly cleaned, and MAN, when it comes back from the jeweler/steam cleaning - it is EYE POPPING HYPNOTIC. But - I''m realistic about my habits. Just running warm water over it when washing your hands helps some! And about once a week I microwave up some dishsoap & water ... spray the ring with glass cleaner, then swish around the "head" end of the ring in the super hot water for a bit ... then rinse it off with cold & blot dry.

I''d say most of the time my ring looks VERY NICE. Maybe not THE ULTIMATE it can look. But VERY NICE. It''s pretty new though (8 mos) - if it requires more scrubbing later on, I''d do it.

Hope that helps!

 

[ladykemma]

when you buy her the ring buy her the ultrasonic cleaner. sharper image carries them.

i use an ultrasonic cleaner everyday. I use liquid dish soap in water as the solvent. I use a soft tiny hair paint brush to brush in the crevices and underneath...

diamonds are covalently bonded carbon, very non polar molecules, therefore they attract anything non polar like grease, greasy dead skin cells, lotion, and greasy crud.

need a soap or detergent to pull off the grease into the water.

I live in a high hardness water area. roughly once a year i use a weak acid to get the calcium carbonate off. the lemon "scrub away" soap scum remover works great. don't soak, just dip and get it out of there, because acids corrode the metal.

edited to add: when I wash my hands i soap up the diamonds as well and rinse.

also I am a reformed diamond neglector. the first ten years i had my engagement ring, i never took it off or cleaned it. gross.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 7/5/2006 1:19:08 PM
Author: ladykemma
*snipped*

I live in a high hardness water area. roughly once a year i use a weak acid to get the calcium carbonate off. the lemon ''scrub away'' soap scum remover works great. don''t soak, just dip and get it out of there, because acids corrode the metal.

Our water is VERY hard. Do you mean like Scrubbing Bubbles?

 

[SuzyQZ]

Date: 7/5/2006 1:15:55 PM
Author: decodelighted
I have an Asscher & I''m not super-active ring cleaner. I know the cut looks its best when it''s freshly cleaned, and MAN, when it comes back from the jeweler/steam cleaning - it is EYE POPPING HYPNOTIC.

That''s the look I crave, that ''eye-popping'' WOW factor. I think I''m addicted to it, that''s why I''m so compulsive (admittedly so) about cleaning my ring. I know how great it can look, so I strive for that WOW over and over again. Before I clean my rings I think, "hey they probably don''t really need to be cleaned, I could skip a day" then I clean them and I say "WOW" all over again! It''s a sickness!

 

[Odilia]

I can''t speak for the square cuts, but backing up what Ellen said, I have a RB and so do most of my friends & family, and they always seem very sparkly. One friend''s ring, I always admire, and it always looks sparkly, and when she came with me to the jeweler once, he said, "there''s a sequoia growing on your diamond!" and proceeded to clean it for her. Apparently she never cleans it and it still seems sparkly. THis is not to say I don''t try to clean mine as often as possible, and don''t advocate it. I''m with those who like to keep it clean, although for me it''s more like once a week. And I agree, why buy a good quality stone, just to let it get dirty and look like a lesser quality? But just to say that I think rounds do retain sparkle even when dirty- perhaps more so than the more step-ish cuts? A friend, when she first saw mine - I said, "sorry it''s a bit dirty" and she said, "that thing would sparkle even if it fell in the MUD!!" And although an exaggeration, to some extent I think there''s some truth to it.

 

[ladykemma]

Date: 7/5/2006 1:21:25 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 7/5/2006 1:19:08 PM
Author: ladykemma
*snipped*

I live in a high hardness water area. roughly once a year i use a weak acid to get the calcium carbonate off. the lemon ''scrub away'' soap scum remover works great. don''t soak, just dip and get it out of there, because acids corrode the metal.

Our water is VERY hard. Do you mean like Scrubbing Bubbles?

no, not scrubbing bubbles. Lemon "scrub away" contains sulfamic acid, look in the ingredients. it has a yellow label on a squirt bottle. You want a soap scum remover. citric acid, vinegar will work but not as well. once a year, not everyday.

Perry and I once got into a heated argument over this topic on this forum. do a search -- two chemists with too much time on their hands.

don''t ever use anything with hydrochloric acid. you will have no ring left or severe damage.

 

[Ellen]

OK. I''ll keep that in mind.

Would soaking in vinegar maybe once every two weeks keep the deposits off just as well as letting them build up and then using something harsher?


ofg, yes, rounds are way more forgiving.

 

[sanfranciscoellen]

I''ve only had an asscher, not an EC, but I''d wager that asschers are not worse than EC as far as getting dirty, and may be better? It seems like the table is the issue and a gorgeous EC has a bigger table to smudge.

I was bugged by my asscher''s cleanliness until I had the platinum converted from shiny to matte/satin finish, and now it doesn''t matter how dirty it is, it still looks sparkly. And uber sparkly when I clean it. I just ordered a refurbished/new ultrasonic from sharper image''s ebay account, for $49.95 instead of the usual deluxe model''s $100 price, but mostly to clean my new eternity band.

I use 100% ammonia soak and a toothbrush scrub, as per my appraiser''s advice.

I never thought I''d be a cleaner, but I clean daily, even when I have dirty dishes in my sink. I''m sure your girl will do it to when she sees the difference it makes!

 

[Mara]

i don't know that an asscher is going to be harder to keep clean than any other step cut or diamond for that fact...my diamond gets dirty literally 5 minutes after i clean it. drives me nuts! seems like the larger surface area on the stone, the easier it gets dirty too. ugh!

i personally think that if someone isn't going to keep such an expensive item clean, why bother to buy it?!?!?! it sooo bugs me when people don't clean their rings...hahaa...my mom never cleans hers and i always want to snatch it off her hand and throw it into the US. i typically clean it for her anyway, hehee.

lol waller...i don't do the dishes but i clean the ring! that's so funny.

 

[Gypsy]

I have the only step cut among all of my friends and family. NONE of them clean their rings more than a couple of times a year... except if they wear them in the shower or run it underwater quickly. My FMIL has a stunning RB and when I cleaned it just with amonia I was surprised at the amazing fire and brilliance because hers is very sparkly normally-- but the difference was noticable. My mother''s RB is sparkly too... but gets duller than FMIL (not sure about mom''s cut-- know FMIL''s is super though). My aunt''s Princess cut always looks nice... and I think she''s the exception in that she cleans her with a little amonia every month or so. My asscher... UGH! I am getting an ultra sonic the MINUTE I get it re-set and probably a steam cleaner too. I do clean it in a jeweler cleaning liquid every two days or so...AND I clean it with dishsoap everyday... and about 10 minutes after I clean it... it looks smidged if my finger accidentally touches it.

If she isn''t absolutely in love with asscher/ step cuts... I''d tell your fiance look into Flanders cuts and Square Hearts and Arrows. Cut corner squares that aren''t step cut. Also... asschers are hard to find settings for... so have her decide on a setting style and work backward to see if an asscher would work with it.

 

[Kaleigh]

A diamond gets dirty no matter what the cut is. Yes a step cut such as an asscher will show dirt more quickly than say a RB. But keeping the stone clean is key. I have friends that don''t clean their rings.

I have even given them cleaning solution and when they come to visit, I promptly take their rings for a quick cleaning in my Ultra sonic. I have an asscher RHR. I don''t wear it once I''m home, or to clean, cook etc... For that matter I don''t wear my ering once I''m home either. But my asscher only needs to be cleaned once a week, unless I was out eating a messy meal or something. I am a clean freak about all of my jewelry....

 

[ringsearch]

Thanks for all the advice. I''m sure she will take this into consideration when making a final decision on shape.

 

[ladykemma]

Date: 7/5/2006 5:24:08 PM
Author: Ellen
OK. I''ll keep that in mind.

Would soaking in vinegar maybe once every two weeks keep the deposits off just as well as letting them build up and then using something harsher?


ofg, yes, rounds are way more forgiving.

no soaking. in and out. acids corrode metal.

 

[Lynn B]

Cleaning a diamond is not hard. It takes only moments a day and is (IMHO) time well spent. I agree with the others... what''s the point of having a beautiful diamond if it''s allowed to get cruddy and dirty??!!

I just don''t understand it!