Whats the best way to clean your diamond?

[davidmarcs]

I just bought a round diamond with platinum band, and would like to have it look as great as it does now forever. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is the best way to clean it. I have seen some ultrasonics for sale as well as steamers, are there any that are better than others, and do I have to worry about either one of these causing any damage to the platinum band or to the diamond.

Dave

 

[Todd Gray]

Clean platinum in the same way you clean other (non-porous) fine jewelry - using a pre-packaged jewelry cleaner or by soaking it in a mild solution of 50% ammonia and 50% warm water and then gently scrubbing around the prongs with a child size, soft bristle toothbrush and then rinsing it thoroughly under hot running water - close the sink trap first! Then pat dry with a soft, lint free cloth.

Note that harsh chemicals such as ammonia should not be used on gemstones other than diamonds, rubies, or sapphires, because it may damage them (it will actually destroy gems like pearls, opal, coral, jade, etc. and may damage emeralds) - consult a jewelry professional in-person for specific guidance in this matter as it applies to specific jewelry items. Be extremely cautious with less durable gems such as tanzanite which can shatter due to sudden changes in temperature!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/27/2009 2:20:18 PM
Author:davidmarcs
I just bought a round diamond with platinum band, and would like to have it look as great as it does now forever. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what is the best way to clean it. I have seen some ultrasonics for sale as well as steamers, are there any that are better than others, and do I have to worry about either one of these causing any damage to the platinum band or to the diamond.

Dave

Hi Dave,

Well there are various methods you can use, some of the ladies here have ultrasonics and love them, you can try a search as there are some threads in the archives about various models and PSer opinions on each. The Jewel Jet steamer is another well regarded cleaner. Or you can use ammonia and hot water, soak the diamond for a few mins ( suggest one third sudsy ammonia and two thirds hot water), then scrub carefully with a soft brush and rinse well. Watch the prongs when using a brush though as sometimes the bristles can stick.

 

[Upgradable]

I choose a non-toxic option to ammonia that works very well: Gemcare jewelry cleaner. It is plant based and safe for all gemstones and metals. I just soak my rings overnight and then brush with the soft toothbrush and wipe dry with a lint free cloth.

 

[lyra]

I have an ultrasonic, a jewel jet steamer, and I use the GemCare cleaning products.

Slight overkill unless you have several different pieces and like to have clean jewellery all the time. I did find that the jewel jet actually does seem to get my setting just a wee bit more sparkly, but my setting does have some pave, and the basket covers most of the stone, so possibly that is a consideration. An ultrasonic works wonders as well, if there is any difficult to reach gunk in the setting. The GemCare is pleasant and smells nice IMO and I can use it on more delicate gems as well. For the ultrasonic, I use a solution of hot water, a bit of Dawn dish detergent, and brand name Mr. Clean (generics contain ammonia, Mr. Clean does not). Any of these methods work just fine for stand alone cleaning, especially for a simple setting. I always use a baby toothbrush to clean my rings, it's very soft.

 

[T L]

I do not know if this is safe, but I heard pure rubbing alchohol is good and you should let the diamonds soak in it. I hope someone comments on this because as I said, I don''t know if it''s truly safe. I heard boiling water is good for getting off grime and residue, but I wouldn''t leave it in there for more than a minute. Again, I''m not sure about the safety of these types of cleaning methods. I use dishsoap on a very soft toothbrush and very lightly rub the stones in the ring and the undergallery. That works great for me since I keep my rings very clean on a regular basis.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think the ultrasonic cleans the best. A small one is just fine. I wasn''t able to reach every area of my stone to clean it with a soft brush, but the ultrasonic does a fantastic job. I have one that is no longer available, but I''d recommend this one since it is very similar.

https://products.gemappraisers.com/pc-25-1-ultrasonic-cleaner-the-sonic-wave-spa.aspx

 

[sparxs111]

I clean with a toothbrush and an ultra sonic. Get everything. In the ultra sonic I use 4 squirts of windex and and a few drops of dish soap. Then rinse. Works everytime, and all I can say is WOW. Whenever you rinse yuour ring though, make sure the drain is closed!!!!!

 

[musey]

Date: 1/27/2009 3:10:07 PM
Author: Upgradable
I choose a non-toxic option to ammonia that works very well: Gemcare jewelry cleaner. It is plant based and safe for all gemstones and metals. I just soak my rings overnight and then brush with the soft toothbrush and wipe dry with a lint free cloth.

This is my favorite, as well! I let them soak for about 5-10 minutes while I''m doing my hair and/or makeup in the morning, then either rinse right away or use a soft toothbrush to scrub a bit, depending on the effort I feel like putting in that morning

I clean my wedding ring every day because I wear it 24/7, and my e-ring probably only 2x per week at most.

I have an ultrasonic but it sits unused - this method is plenty effective and easy without using any electricity!

 

[Todd Gray]

Be careful with ultrasonic cleaners, know that as jewelers there are a lot of rings that we set in an ultrasonic to soak but would never place in the unit if it were actually "on" because the seemingly delicate vibrations created by the units can loosen stones within minutes! If people realized how little jewelers actually use their ultrasonics to vibrate dirt loose, they might be less inclined to purchase them - hey, the vibration is great to dissolve the cleaning solution and to remove loose debris from the casting and polish process, but not so good for set jewelry! Truly! If you want to shake the diamonds loose from your pavé or channel set engagement ring, trust me an ultrasonic is the way to do it FAST! It also works really well for loosening center stones so that they swivel in the prongs (so does twisting the diamond in your fingers to check if it''s loose - DOH!). Nothing beats a soak in a little bit of cleaning solution, warm solution works better than cold in terms of loosening things up... A lot of the times we''ll soak a clients ring in the sonic after cleaning and then gently swish it around in the solution to work the solution through the setting a bit more, but use of the actual sonic mechanism with mounted goods is pretty scarce! I hope mentioning this will cut down on the "the diamond fell out of my mounting!" posts that are seen so often here on Price Scope

Alcohol doesn''t hurt diamonds, platinum or gold, my fiancé soaks her diamond earrings in alcohol from time to time, but it leaves a bit of a film.

 

[brooklyngirl]

Does anyone have any recommendations on jewelry cleaning when one has hard water? Since I moved out of NYC, I''ve had a bit of trouble keeping my ring clean because we have hard water... should I buy distilled water for this purpose? Are there any other suggestions?