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The ultimate home cleaning for a diamond? a ramble

Jimmianne said:
be careful polishing rhodium plating...the sunshine cloth is what I used to take the rhodium off my 14k white gold ring so it had a more natural pale gold look.
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I prefer to not have any rhodium plating anyway, and any new/custom rings I get are usually without the plating. I love the ‘whellow’ look. :love:
 
Makes sure to put no more than the 11oz in the GemOr steamer.. I was putting more in and the streemail wasn't dry.

I yhink it doesn't hold pressure long enough. It takes to long to get pressure back..unless I am doing something else wrong
 
Maggiemeans said:
Makes sure to put no more than the 11oz in the GemOr steamer.. I was putting more in and the streemail wasn't dry.

I yhink it doesn't hold pressure long enough. It takes to long to get pressure back..unless I am doing something else wrong
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It says you’re supposed to use short bursts of steam vs a looooong constant steam stream. I wondered about that as well at first, then read the directions :whistle:, but even when I did it only took about 15-20 seconds to build pressure back up (green light comes back on).
 
the_mother_thing said:
I prefer to not have any rhodium plating anyway, and any new/custom rings I get are usually without the plating. I love the ‘whellow’ look. :love:
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Me too!
I requested unplated when I had my asscher set and they did it anyway. Rather than wait even longer for my new ring I decided to "unfinish" it myself. I love the mellow soft look of natural white gold.
I will have to take a closer look at your rings!
 
The steamer is great. My ring looked very good last night after steaming and after I did the soak and steam routine again this morning, the diamond is back to "uber-clean".
Very pleased with the Gemoro. I know the reviews for its longevity are not great but for now it works, and fingers crossed I got a good one,
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Fairy liquid hot water soak and a toothbrush with a microfibre polish. Not perfect, could be better!
 
This is the combo I religiously use. I also do LOTS of other suggestions on here in a pinch, but this is a permanent fixture on my bathroom counter. To ME, there's NOTHING like ultrasonic to really make my rings sparkle. I've probably put my rings in here 100X - no exaggeration, bc I've had it for years and I have 41 wedding bands. To ME, nothing can clean a channel set band like my ES. I only had one stone fall out in YEARS of use, and that was what a call a "gypsy" set in a Tiffany Etoile. I sent it to NYC to repair and it came back perfect. Needless to say I don't put THAT in there, but I've never loosened ANY of my other stones. Just MY experience mind you. I no longer put my 3 row-pave band in there, due to Pricescope, but my jeweler says it's fine to do and that that's how HE cleans it. NEVER any missing stones. I just hit it with some cleaner and a brush and call it a day. LOVE LOVE LOVE my US. I had the steamer too, but mysteriously it went missing during a major house construction!! Who knows. It was fun, but I haven't bothered to replace it. Good luck cleaning everyone. Makes such a diff!!!
 
Starfacet said:
Threadjack! That is some Asscher!!!
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Thank you! : )
The cut really shows it's geometry in photos, which makes taking pictures fun.
 
I have used hydrogen peroxide contact lens solution on my platinum ring, and I think it helped to lift a lot of the original muck off it (watching those bubbles to see it working). But then I lost a shoulder stone so it made me paranoid. Since then just fairy liquid and a soft toothbrush, then a micro fibre cloth.
 
Jimmianne, I love the macro shot of your squeaky, clean Asscher! :wavey:

I generally use a mixture of Windex and filtered water to soak my jewelry in every day for about 10 minutes. I dig out my steam cleaner on occasion and yes it does make a difference. Sometimes I'll use Dawn dish soap (the blue one) and water to soak my jewelry. I also bought an old fashioned jeweler's polisher cloth (is it called a rouge cloth) to polish the metal on my bands occasionally. But yes, when you get your jewelry cleaned in a store that polishes them I do notice a difference. My jewelry is set in yellow or white gold.
 
the_mother_thing said:
It says you’re supposed to use short bursts of steam vs a looooong constant steam stream. I wondered about that as well at first, then read the directions :whistle:, but even when I did it only took about 15-20 seconds to build pressure back up (green light comes back on).
Click to expand...
I will count seconds... it feels longer to me. How many bursts do you do? 8 definitely keep the bursts short.
 
Maggiemeans said:
I will count seconds... it feels longer to me. How many bursts do you do? 8 definitely keep the bursts short.
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I don’t recall exactly how many bursts I do ... probably depends on the piece I am cleaning and how intricate it is. I do enough to get into any nooks & crevices at least twice. But none of my jewelry ever gets really gunked up to need extensive steaming because I usually clean my everyday rings daily anyway; earrings probably every 3 days in addition to sort of ‘finger-cleaning’ them in the shower (while it my ears). Anything I might wear that isn’t a daily-wear also gets cleaned before I put it away at night. And when I do steam items, I give everything a good soak in the warm water & the Dawn DS pre-steam to loosen anything that might be built-up from the day.

Honestly, I have found that simply making daily cleaning a ritual has been my best bet for keeping my jewelry looking good. It’s easy enough to just soak my rings every morning while I have my 1st cup of coffee, gently scrub them while my 2nd cup brews and then continue the soaking, then rinse & dry everything when the 3rd cup brews.
 
A weird thing I've found that cleans my rings really well is micellar water makeup remover. I soak them for a bit in a small container with an inch or so and you can see all the gunk it pulled off sitting in the bottom of the container. Plus, it's safe for your eyes so you know it's gentle on your rings. I reuse the soaking solution on my rings multiple times and then change it out.
 
Interesting!
 
A note of advice to those that use a bowl to soak rings in...make sure it is a bright, colorful bordering on obnoxious and is dedicated to this use. My aunt had her rings soaking in a ramekin and one of her sisters was over for dinner and did the dishes. The visiting sister just grabbed the ramekin and dumped it out to clean, by which point she realized that the rings were down the drain. Luckily, the rings were recovered from the trap. But, I heard this same kind of story all the time at my grandmother's shop. Even if everyone in your house knows the rules, visitors may not.

I hate to to be the science nerd that ruins the party...Micellar water is a surfactant...it reduces the surface tension of liquids...just like most every kind of detergent on the market. It may be very safe for skin, but could be a very expensive alternative to Dawn. I don't know which brand you use, but they usually contain a bunch of other stuff to manage the pH, preservatives (often citric acid and or salts), sugars, natural (or not) fragrance, and things to moisten skin. Those could build up on a gem and, at least theoretically, damage gold.
 
Day two:
I am so totally sold on using a steamer! I thought I was getting DDS or jaded or just used to my diamond, but the issue was surface oils I guess, and I am completely in love with the stone again.
Everytime I steam it, it looks better. There must have been microscope layers of oils.
And before this I was cleaning it once or twice a day with a Dawn soak and hot water.
So perhaps this is an issue with more with step cuts than RBs or OECs. They simply must be very clean to be happy.
Can you tell that I'm enthusiastic??
 
Jimmianne said:
Day two:
I am so totally sold on using a steamer! I thought I was getting DDS or jaded or just used to my diamond, but the issue was surface oils I guess, and I am completely in love with the stone again.
Everytime I steam it, it looks better. There must have been microscope layers of oils.
And before this I was cleaning it once or twice a day with a Dawn soak and hot water.
So perhaps this is an issue with more with step cuts than RBs or OECs. They simply must be very clean to be happy.
Can you tell that I'm enthusiastic??
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Step cuts needs to be pristine or they will be more dull than an equally dirty brilliant cut. Nature of the beast. So glad you found a solution to DSS!
 
Jimmianne said:
Day two:
I am so totally sold on using a steamer! I thought I was getting DDS or jaded or just used to my diamond, but the issue was surface oils I guess, and I am completely in love with the stone again.
Everytime I steam it, it looks better. There must have been microscope layers of oils.
And before this I was cleaning it once or twice a day with a Dawn soak and hot water.
So perhaps this is an issue with more with step cuts than RBs or OECs. They simply must be very clean to be happy.
Can you tell that I'm enthusiastic??
Click to expand...

:clap::clap: And wayyy cheaper than a new diamond!

For those who may not want to buy a steamer specific for jewelry, I have also had excellent results with using the detachable steam function on my Shark Steam Mop using the concentrator nozzle that attaches to it. Or if you have a cappuccino machine that has the steam head attachment as well, that could be a good way to make good use of what you have versus adding another appliance.
 
Jimmianne said:
Day two:
I am so totally sold on using a steamer! I thought I was getting DDS or jaded or just used to my diamond, but the issue was surface oils I guess, and I am completely in love with the stone again.
Everytime I steam it, it looks better. There must have been microscope layers of oils.
And before this I was cleaning it once or twice a day with a Dawn soak and hot water.
So perhaps this is an issue with more with step cuts than RBs or OECs. They simply must be very clean to be happy.
Can you tell that I'm enthusiastic??
Click to expand...

I am always quite pleased when you are happy dear Jimmianne and woohoo to finding just the right way to clean that gorgeous TDF asscher of yours. Step cuts need to be sparkly and squeaky clean to show off in the best possible way. And yours deserves all that and more. What an asscher.

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Jimmianne said:
yeh me too, as this stone is IT. I really went outside my frugality comfort zone, so there will not be another. [Well, at least for ten years. I told Yoram I'd be back to celebrate my 80th with the next size up LOL]
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Haha OK let's compromise and make that 75 and can I have this asscher when you "up"grade? :halo::love:
 
I also agree about cleaning on a daily basis. I clean my rings every morning and once a week they have their bath in the us and steamer. The rings appear cleaner and cleaner each week!
 
Well, being the frugal person that I am, I have discovered the best low tech cleaner. White vinegar.
Vinegar and water, mixed 50/50. Mix it up in a small glass bowl and warm in microwave for a few seconds. Soak for 5 min, rub a little with small brush, and rinse.
The vinegar, being a mild acid, removes stubborn film and deposits on the underside of the stones.
No special equipment needed!
Loupe your stones before and after and you will see amazing results.
 
Can I make a quick observation and please tell me if this makes sense or not? I promise there is s method to my madness. I would soak my rings every morning in dawn but then I noticed my stone took on a slightly green tint, which was the color of the dawn that I was using. So I stopped using dawn and then started soaking the rings in the connoisseurs solution with better results, no green tint. Then for the weekly round of us and steamer, I would use good old di water for the bath and steam. Results were good! Thennnnn, I got the idea to use the conniseurs in the us! So I did that yesterday, followed by a soak for 30 minutes in di water, followed by a round of quick steam and wow! I have never seen such brilliance and shine from my rings! NEVER! So does this ring true? Pun intended. Now, plus, when I looked at the solution in the us, when I use di water, after the soak, the water is always cloudy but when I used the conniseur solution, the solution was completely clear and not cloudy. Now I am thinking of using the Caribbean gem solution instead.
 
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