My diamond looks different, what''s going on??

[alicat]

Hi Everyone. I got engaged about a week ago and when my now fiance gave me the ring (which i picked out beforehand) it was just perfect and sooooo sparkly and so WHITE (even though its an "I" color. I was 100% happy with it and thought it was just beautiful. everyone i showed it to that first week commented how brilliant and white it was.
Today, though, my diamond looks kind of crappy. It looks more yellow today for some reason (i''m in the same office everday so lighting is consistent) and isn''t at all as sparkly as those first couple of days i had it. It looks kind of dark in the middle which I KNOW it didn''t have when i first got it either. what is going on? can a diamond LOSE it brilliance/whiteness? Could it already be this dirty so soon??? i''ve cleaned it using mostly water only. should i try something else? another thing i was wondering is that when i look directly at my diamond from the side (table up, looking through it), i see a line midway between the culet and girdle, horizontally), should this line be there?

 

[Hest88]

The line is the girdle reflection, probably, so completely normal.

I'd clean your ring with something other than just water. Water wouldn't take away the oils and gunk. Think about what would happen if you only used water to wash your hands. I use a mix of sudsy ammonia and water, and other's have their favorites, but you can just pick up some jewelry cleaner at a jeweler or at many stores.

 

[clementine]

I agree with Hest - it's probably just dirty, and yes, it can get that dirty in only a week. Same thing happened to mine. Let us know if cleaning doesn't work!

 

[fuffi]

My jeweler recommends hot Windex. It works wonders. Let your ring sit in it for several minutes, then brush with a small soft brush and rinse.

 

[mike04456]

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On 7/30/2003 11:22:51 AM alicat wrote:
Today, though, my diamond looks kind of crappy. It looks more yellow today for some reason (i'm in the same office everday so lighting is consistent) and isn't at all as sparkly as those first couple of days i had it. It looks kind of dark in the middle which I KNOW it didn't have when i first got it either; what is going on? can a diamond LOSE it brilliance/whiteness? Could it already be this dirty so soon???

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Yes, it definitely can. Diamonds are grease magnets, so much so that their affinity for grease is used as a common method to separate rough diamonds from crushed ore. They can pick up a dingy film of grease in a matter of days, especially if you're doing things like washing dishes while wearing your ring. The dark areas are probably the result of increased leakage. The grease film on the surface actually alters the optics on the diamond so that it does not return light as efficiently.

Cleaning it with a gentle cleanser (Windex is good) and a toothbrush each night will help it maintain that sparkling appearance it first had.

 

[Boulder]

Wow! I had no idea that diamonds required that much maintenance!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 7/30/2003 12:13:40 PM Boulder wrote:

Wow! I had no idea that diamonds required that much maintenance!

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Yep, that's what I keep harping about - the 5th C - Cleanliness. I clean my ring every time I wash my hair (I have dry hair so that's about every third day).

I have a jar w/ 1/3 ammonia 2/3 water. I soak the ring while showering. Then, after I blow dry my hair, I take a toothbrush to the ring, rinse & blow dry the ring. This has been working for 20 years.

More than likely this will get that ring back to it's former clean self. Also, in that first week, one tends to never take it off, moisterize the hand to maximize the beauty of the ring & people can't help but touch the diamond - all contributing to a very dirty (and subsequently dull) diamond.

Have a go at it.

 

[Mara]

Its dirty--I clean mine every day with Windex and a small toothbrush head (for what appears to be an infant, its so small). I found that a regular toothbrush or even a small one didn't get all the angles. So my appraiser suggested I use these, they are awesome. They get between the prongs and I can scrub the pavilion and all the angles and even get into the prongs etc. My head has enough space though for me to do this. Some stones are set so deep into the head its hard to get in. But this thing works wonders.

I find that I don't like my ring as much when it's dirty, I get a soap and lotion film quite easily each day...so I clean it every morning after I brush my teeth.

I can't believe that some people don't clean it that often, even weekly is too long for me. When I hear that people clean their rings once a month, I can't believe it. Why have such an expensive item of beauty if you don't take care of it?? It takes all of 2 seconds each morning, I keep the windex in a baby jar with the baby toothbrush in the bathroom.

 

[8*flash]

Get the ultrasonic cleaner for $90 at Sharper Image. Clean the ring using that every few days. It only takes 5 minutes and your ring will sparkle just like it did when you first got it.

 

[jenntheten]

I'm with Mara......I clean mine EVERY day! I think it looks horrible when it's dirty......I love the baby jar of windex/baby toothbrush idea! I'm going to try that!

 

[Boulder]

I guess my girlfriend will be the one to worry about this...

Thanks for all the great suggestions! When this becomes an issue (in a month) I'll be sure to let her know.

 

[Heyjud]

Each morning when you brush your teeth
Brush your diamond too
A bit of soapy water and a toothbrush
That should do!

It will keep it sparkling
You'll get used to the routine
To keep that diamond glowing bright
as well as shinny clean!!

 

[Kamuelamom]

I also use the ammonia/water mixture, it's similar to what you can buy for $2.50 at Walmart. An old toothbrush worked well for me, but it was once suggested to use battery operated toothbrush (with an old head). I happened to have one and I've used it ever since. It's kind of the poor gal's version of the Ultrasonic!

I *love* it!

 

[lucy]

hi
i asked this before but i think i asked it the wrong way-can u leave your diamond in the ultrasonic all night? but by that i mean-put it in, set it for 5min to shake it or just let it shake it for 5 min then turn the shaking part off if no automatic turn off timer and just leave the diamond standing still soaking in the solution all night? will it mess up platinum if soaking for so long?
thx

 

[Hest88]

Lucy, you can soak it all night, especially if it's platinum. I often leave my rings in a solution overnight.