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?s about Ultrasonic Cleaners

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luvthemstrawberries

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I''ve searched on past PS threads but haven''t found the answers to questions I''ve got.

First, can putting my ring in there eventually loosen the stones? It''s a 4 prong solitaire with split shanks and diamonds set into one of the shanks on each side. I''m not sure about the terminology for how they''re set - pave, bead set... (?) They''re about 1 pointers.

Second, what can be put in there together? I got my cleaner at the jeweler''s, and he gave me some solution to put in with it. If my ring is platinum, can I put my mom''s yellow gold ring in there with mine? Or can I clean a silver bracelet with my ring?
 

Hudson_Hawk

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If your ring has pave stones (which it sounds like it does), then there is a risk of losing stones in the US. Some people feel pave should NEVER be cleaned in a US, I'm not in that camp. I've lost 2 stones, but they're easy to replace and my jeweler did it for free. That was within a few months of getting the US and using it like twice. I've since used it numerous times and haven't had any problems since. So I figure those two stones were not set properly to begin with and they've since been fixed.

I use a mixture of no ammonia windex, water and dawn dish soap. I heat up the water and add it all to the machine, up to the max level. When I do my ring, I don't put anything else in the tank.

*Edited to add* I don't think the US is going to do much for your silver pieces as that's tarnish, not dirt. Platinum, white gold, and yellow gold should all be OK in the US, just make sure you solution doesn't contain ammonia or chlorine. Those chemicals can affect the rhodium plating on white gold. I don't know why there would be a problem mixing metals within the US...
 

Cleopatra

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I have a pave engagement ring with 2 pave bands as well - I use them in the ultra sonic all the time. Probably about 1 or 2 times a week - I''ve never lost a stone in the 2 years that I''ve been using it. Although, I feel better about it knowing that my jeweler will replace any lost stones for free. I''d check with your jeweler before using it because I know many have lost pave stones in US machines.

As for a solution, I use a cap full of Mr. Clean for my white gold ring and very hot water - it comes out sparkling!
30.gif
 

Hudson_Hawk

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I clean my silver with the following process

Line a bowl with tin foil
Add some baking soda (a few tablespoons)
Add your silver (make sure there are no stones, pearls, etc within the pieces) making sure the metal touches the aluminum foil in as many places as possible.
pour in hot water and let the silver soak in the solution. You''ll start to smell an eggy/sulfur smell. Leave the pieces in as short/long as you want

After soaking, rinse well in warm water.

Store your silver pieces in their own silver bags within your jewelry box.
 

musey

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I do the same as hudson for my silver stuff, except I've never thought to have the foil touch the silver pieces as much as possible. I don't think that that's how the process works, but I could be wrong. I only pour, swish for ~5 seconds, then rinse. Stuff looks like new! The US won't do anything for tarnish.

I have an ultrasonic but barely use it anymore after getting gemcare. I just use it for my wedding band (the small/tight bezels make it difficult to clean thoroughly) every now and again (has been every couple of months or so, honestly). I do hot water with a few sprays of windex, and that's it (though again, check for ammonia in your cleaning agent before putting white gold in there - anything else is fine). It's more about loosening stuff with the vibrations than the soaking, which is what gemcare is great for. Sometimes I'll soak it in gemcare for a few minutes before dropping it in the US.
 

m76steve

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luvthem...the us cleaner can be used on most diamonds and metals for cleaning of dirt & grime-as was said tarnish has to be removed with a soft cloth & tarnish cleaner-for gemstones care must be taken-most rubies/emeralds must not be cleaned with us cleaners-they can open fractures & remove oils & fillers from materials. most gem stones should only be cleaned with warm soapy water and carefully dried off with soft cloth or low pressure air-dawn is good for dirt & grime removal & easy on your hands-enjoy...
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Date: 2/17/2009 2:03:17 PM
Author: Cleopatra
I have a pave engagement ring with 2 pave bands as well - I use them in the ultra sonic all the time. Probably about 1 or 2 times a week - I've never lost a stone in the 2 years that I've been using it. Although, I feel better about it knowing that my jeweler will replace any lost stones for free. I'd check with your jeweler before using it because I know many have lost pave stones in US machines.

As for a solution, I use a cap full of Mr. Clean for my white gold ring and very hot water - it comes out sparkling!
30.gif
Thanks Cleopatra. Yeah my jeweler has the same promise. And I have insurance on it (not sure if insurance covers cleaning??). So hopefully if anything did happen, it'd be taken care of.
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Date: 2/17/2009 1:57:43 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
If your ring has pave stones (which it sounds like it does), then there is a risk of losing stones in the US. Some people feel pave should NEVER be cleaned in a US, I''m not in that camp. I''ve lost 2 stones, but they''re easy to replace and my jeweler did it for free. That was within a few months of getting the US and using it like twice. I''ve since used it numerous times and haven''t had any problems since. So I figure those two stones were not set properly to begin with and they''ve since been fixed.

I use a mixture of no ammonia windex, water and dawn dish soap. I heat up the water and add it all to the machine, up to the max level. When I do my ring, I don''t put anything else in the tank.

*Edited to add* I don''t think the US is going to do much for your silver pieces as that''s tarnish, not dirt. Platinum, white gold, and yellow gold should all be OK in the US, just make sure you solution doesn''t contain ammonia or chlorine. Those chemicals can affect the rhodium plating on white gold. I don''t know why there would be a problem mixing metals within the US...
Thanks for the advice about yours Hudson! My jeweler does the same thing. Good to know that you''ve used yours since the replacement and it''s been fine.
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Hudson and musey - when cleaning your silver like that, will it affect a bracelet that has beads on it? For instance, I have a silver bracelet with colored beads on it (I guess they're heavy plastic), but if they were plastic or glass, would cleaning the silver that way affect those beads in any way?
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Date: 2/17/2009 3:10:49 PM
Author: musey

I have an ultrasonic but barely use it anymore after getting gemcare. I just use it for my wedding band (the small/tight bezels make it difficult to clean thoroughly) every now and again (has been every couple of months or so, honestly). I do hot water with a few sprays of windex, and that''s it (though again, check for ammonia in your cleaning agent before putting white gold in there - anything else is fine). It''s more about loosening stuff with the vibrations than the soaking, which is what gemcare is great for. Sometimes I''ll soak it in gemcare for a few minutes before dropping it in the US.
Huh I''ve never heard of gemcare. I''ll look into it! The vibrations is definitely what I worry about - that''s what I heard could sort of loosen stones after a while. But I also intend to be a regular visitor to my jeweler for tightening checks and such.
 

crown1

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i have the lr quantrex. i purchased it after reading a ps recommend a few years ago. i believe it was cflutist who posted her experience. i have had good results with it. i use mr. clean (no ammonia) and water. i believe that recipe was recommended by richard sherwood. i have cleaned wg, yg and plat with good results. i have used mine on my rubies with no problem. i would not put any pave pieces in for the reasons others have stated.

i have cleaned sterling silver with the same solution. i have had good results but can''t speak for anyone else. i just put the only two pieces of ss i have with any tarnish on them into the us to see what happens. i just got them out and they look much better. using a loupe a small amount of tarnish can be seen but to the naked eye they are fine. i have not put ss items in with gold or platinum.

this is just my experience. i hope it helps.
 

musey

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Date: 2/18/2009 9:14:05 AM
Author: luvthemstrawberries
Hudson and musey - when cleaning your silver like that, will it affect a bracelet that has beads on it? For instance, I have a silver bracelet with colored beads on it (I guess they''re heavy plastic), but if they were plastic or glass, would cleaning the silver that way affect those beads in any way?
I have no idea, sorry! I''ve only used it on plain silver pieces.
 

Hudson_Hawk

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Date: 2/17/2009 3:10:49 PM
Author: musey
I do the same as hudson for my silver stuff, except I''ve never thought to have the foil touch the silver pieces as much as possible. I don''t think that that''s how the process works, but I could be wrong. I only pour, swish for ~5 seconds, then rinse. Stuff looks like new! The US won''t do anything for tarnish.


I have an ultrasonic but barely use it anymore after getting gemcare. I just use it for my wedding band (the small/tight bezels make it difficult to clean thoroughly) every now and again (has been every couple of months or so, honestly). I do hot water with a few sprays of windex, and that''s it (though again, check for ammonia in your cleaning agent before putting white gold in there - anything else is fine). It''s more about loosening stuff with the vibrations than the soaking, which is what gemcare is great for. Sometimes I''ll soak it in gemcare for a few minutes before dropping it in the US.

I was under the impression that the contact of the silver and aluminum within the solution created a chemical reaction/current to remove the tarnish...
 

Hudson_Hawk

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Date: 2/18/2009 9:14:05 AM
Author: luvthemstrawberries
Hudson and musey - when cleaning your silver like that, will it affect a bracelet that has beads on it? For instance, I have a silver bracelet with colored beads on it (I guess they''re heavy plastic), but if they were plastic or glass, would cleaning the silver that way affect those beads in any way?

I would caution against pearls, opal, emeralds, and rubies as noted above, but I don''t think plastic or glass would be affected.
 

musey

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Date: 2/18/2009 4:12:25 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
Date: 2/17/2009 3:10:49 PM
Author: musey
I do the same as hudson for my silver stuff, except I''ve never thought to have the foil touch the silver pieces as much as possible. I don''t think that that''s how the process works, but I could be wrong. I only pour, swish for ~5 seconds, then rinse. Stuff looks like new! The US won''t do anything for tarnish.

I have an ultrasonic but barely use it anymore after getting gemcare. I just use it for my wedding band (the small/tight bezels make it difficult to clean thoroughly) every now and again (has been every couple of months or so, honestly). I do hot water with a few sprays of windex, and that''s it (though again, check for ammonia in your cleaning agent before putting white gold in there - anything else is fine). It''s more about loosening stuff with the vibrations than the soaking, which is what gemcare is great for. Sometimes I''ll soak it in gemcare for a few minutes before dropping it in the US.
I was under the impression that the contact of the silver and aluminum within the solution created a chemical reaction/current to remove the tarnish...
Yeah, I don''t know! The way it was described to me, the solution loosens the tarnish, and the aluminum attracts it. If that''s the case, the aluminum would not need to touch the silver in order to function as an attractor.

In any case, I''ve never bothered with shaping the aluminum and it''s worked perfectly for me... maybe I should try it next time and see if it makes a difference!

Here''s a recent useful thread: A good silver cleaner!? HELP!!

... and some good posts from it:

Date: 1/6/2009 3:56:48 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
Date: 1/6/2009 3:39:57 PM
Author: geckodani
The Mr.Wizard way:

1. Line a shallow bowl with tin foil.
2. Add silver to the dish, slightly overlapping.
3. Add 1tbsp baking soda
4. Add 1tbsp salt
5. Add hot water.
6. Watch it bubble.

Not sure I would do this with Tiffany pieces.... but it works well on my cheapie silver stuff!
Thanks for posting this, it''s a very cheap, safe and easy way to clean tarnish off of silver without rubbing it to death. It also gets the tarnish out of hard to remove crevices. It should be safe for most stones except those that are glued in, just make sure you rinse the piece with water afterwards so there is no residue. The silver must touch the foil and be completely immersed in the solution to get clean. This will get tarnish off any any metal, not just silver. Even gold will tarnish after a while since it''s not 24K.

I think 3M sells anti tarnish papers, so if you use a plastic baggie to hold your silver, throw one of these in there with them. You should clean the silver first and then it will stay clean with the antitarnish papers. There are also anti-tarnish jewelry boxes as well.

Here''s another thread: would love to clean up these 2 antique pieces...please help!!??

Seems as though people are split on whether this is a gentle or harsh way to clean your pieces.
40.gif
 

musey

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Date: 2/18/2009 1:32:48 PM
Author: musey
Date: 2/18/2009 9:14:05 AM
Author: luvthemstrawberries
Hudson and musey - when cleaning your silver like that, will it affect a bracelet that has beads on it? For instance, I have a silver bracelet with colored beads on it (I guess they''re heavy plastic), but if they were plastic or glass, would cleaning the silver that way affect those beads in any way?
I have no idea, sorry! I''ve only used it on plain silver pieces.
Oh one thing, if your bracelet''s beads are affixed with glue of some kind, or thread (basically anything other than metal), I don''t think it''s a very good idea... probably best to use a cleaning cloth and let the crevices get an antiqued look.
 

elrohwen

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The first time I used my US I lost a stone. Not even one of the beadset stones, which I wouldn''t have cared about, but I lost a gypsy set stone that was inside the band and came from my grandma''s ring
7.gif


So my advice, don''t worry about cleaning it in the US, but make sure you check it over before you dump the water out! I figure if it falls out, it was loose anyway. I''m just mad that I didn''t think to check the ring before I dumped the water and so lost the stone.
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Date: 2/18/2009 4:20:02 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk

Date: 2/18/2009 9:14:05 AM
Author: luvthemstrawberries
Hudson and musey - when cleaning your silver like that, will it affect a bracelet that has beads on it? For instance, I have a silver bracelet with colored beads on it (I guess they''re heavy plastic), but if they were plastic or glass, would cleaning the silver that way affect those beads in any way?

I would caution against pearls, opal, emeralds, and rubies as noted above, but I don''t think plastic or glass would be affected.
Thanks Hudson!
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Date: 2/19/2009 8:51:32 AM
Author: elrohwen
The first time I used my US I lost a stone. Not even one of the beadset stones, which I wouldn''t have cared about, but I lost a gypsy set stone that was inside the band and came from my grandma''s ring
7.gif


So my advice, don''t worry about cleaning it in the US, but make sure you check it over before you dump the water out! I figure if it falls out, it was loose anyway. I''m just mad that I didn''t think to check the ring before I dumped the water and so lost the stone.
Good advice elrohwen! Thanks
1.gif


I''m sorry you lost your stone.
7.gif
 

luvthemstrawberries

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Date: 2/18/2009 4:37:34 PM
Author: musey

Date: 2/18/2009 1:32:48 PM
Author: musey

Date: 2/18/2009 9:14:05 AM
Author: luvthemstrawberries
Hudson and musey - when cleaning your silver like that, will it affect a bracelet that has beads on it? For instance, I have a silver bracelet with colored beads on it (I guess they''re heavy plastic), but if they were plastic or glass, would cleaning the silver that way affect those beads in any way?
I have no idea, sorry! I''ve only used it on plain silver pieces.
Oh one thing, if your bracelet''s beads are affixed with glue of some kind, or thread (basically anything other than metal), I don''t think it''s a very good idea... probably best to use a cleaning cloth and let the crevices get an antiqued look.
Hmm, so you think if it''s one that''s held together with the clear string that looks like thick fishing line... probably not a good thing to put in there?
 

musey

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No clue, I''m sorry!!
 

Hudson_Hawk

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The clear string is probably nylon and it''s fine, just make sure the water isn''t too too hot.
 
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