which diamond stays clean longer ?

[blissfulbride]

I have an asscher and its always getting dirty all the time and im sick of cleaning it. What can i do ? should i change the stone?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

How often do you clean it? I keep a baby toothbrush by my bathroom sink and scrub my stone every morning and that does the trick. Also, taking off your ring before applying lotion helps a lot.

 

[blissfulbride]

it''s just when a asscher gets dirty it really makes the stone look way smaller. I use i tiny brush too and its still a pain in the neck

 

[geckodani]

Diamonds get dirty - I have a RB and I clean it daily. Just the way they are, unfortunately.

 

[blissfulbride]

well atleast now i know it has nothing to do with the cut right ?

 

[geckodani]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:07:58 PM
Author: blissfulbride
well atleast now i know it has nothing to do with the cut right ?

Right, LOL.

 

[oldmancoyote]

I suspect you see dirt more on step cuts because facets are relatively larger and sparkliness/fire is lower than in RB. From that point of view, changing the stone may help. However... dirt sticks to all diamonds irrespective of shape (and they are veritable magnets for greasy dirt).

 

[Mediterranean]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:07:58 PM
Author: blissfulbride
well atleast now i know it has nothing to do with the cut right ?

Nope! It''s not your cut, or even your particular stone. Diamonds repel water. They''re kind of grease-magnets, from what I remember of my "Discovery Channel Education"

I think part of sorting diamonds from other sediment is to pass the dug-up material (that had diamond in it) in a stream of water over greased tables. The diamonds stick to the grease, the useless stuff gets washed away in the water stream.

I guess to keep ''em clean, avoid greasy stuff, like hair product or hand lotion? Clean it often?

 

[musey]

It's a polished stone that has surface area on which lotion/dust/dirt/etc. collect if given the opportunity. No diamond cut is magically dirt-resistant or self-cleaning

unless your stone's surface is not polished, it will get dirty only as quickly as any other stone. No diamond "stays clean longer," don't be silly!!

I seem to recall a few threads (one in particular by vespergirl) by asscher owners perceiving that their stones get dirty faster. I think that the faceting pattern perhaps can be affected more by dirt (visually speaking) than brilliant cuts. That's all I can figure.

I clean my engagement ring (asscher) only once every few days to a week, and it never looks 'dirty' to me unless I wear it in the shower (moisturizing products). I remove it for sleep, lotion, shower, and working with my hands (cooking, yardwork, etc.), and it still looks bright and sparkly all the time.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:11:28 PM
Author: oldmancoyote
I suspect you see dirt more on step cuts because facets are relatively larger and sparkliness/fire is lower than in RB. From that point of view, changing the stone may help. However... dirt sticks to all diamonds irrespective of shape (and they are veritable magnets for greasy dirt).

Agreed. I think brilliant cuts tend to show less dirt than step cuts. I have an asscher...I don''t wear it often, but when I do I always clean it beforehand. I used to throw it in the ultrasonic a couple of times a week, but I think it''s shaking my side-stones loose (just had them tightened), so now I just go the baby-toothbrush route.

I also have a habit of cleaning off the table on my shirt or pants several times a day. I can see any little smudge on the table pretty easily.

 

[blissfulbride]

other then the round cut, what other cut is just as brillant ?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:23:11 PM
Author: blissfulbride
other then the round cut, what other cut is just as brillant ?

Well cut ovals can give a good performance.

 

[musey]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:23:11 PM
Author: blissfulbride
other then the round cut, what other cut is just as brillant ?

Are you thinking of switching out your stone? This is generally a very big decision, involving your SO if possible... Does your jeweler have an upgrade policy?

Round brilliants are the most popular cut for a reason, I could be mistaken but I believe that an ideal-cut round brilliant is as "brilliant" that you can get. Again, I'm not a RB expert, so someone will correct me if I'm wrong here.

Rhino at Good Old Gold has a lot of cut comparison videos here:
http://vimeo.com/2245901

 

[stepcutnut]

I don't think that my Asscher or EC diamond rings get any dirtier than my other shaped/cut diamonds-honestly I think how dirty they get is determined by how they are set and what you do while wearing them I too just give them a quick scrub with a baby toothbrush and liquid soap before I put them on.

 

[Mediterranean]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:26:34 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 12/8/2008 12:23:11 PM

Author: blissfulbride

other then the round cut, what other cut is just as brillant ?

Well cut ovals can give a good performance.

I think this question represents "The Holy Grail" among the cutters/retailers/graders of fancies, LOL!! And that very question is the reason why there are many more branded cuts of certain shapes (like the ACA princesses from Whiteflash, for example, or the Crisscut emerald shapes) and why things like the ASET and IdealScope ISee2 and Gemex images are becoming more popular, in addition to light performance standards (AGS 0) as opposed to the GIA''s cut rating scale.

 

[joflier]

Well guys, maybe we should work on inventing a diamond dirt repellant!

We'd make a fortune!

 

[neatfreak]

I disagree with it not being the cut...I think step cuts show dirt MUCH more easily than brilliant cuts. Thus, brilliant cuts still look nice when they are a bit dirty and you really notice when an asscher or emerald is dirty...

 

[coatimundi_org]

How is your stone mounted? Could the mount be trapping grease, soap residue, etc?

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:52:03 PM
Author: neatfreak
I disagree with it not being the cut...I think step cuts show dirt MUCH more easily than brilliant cuts. Thus, brilliant cuts still look nice when they are a bit dirty and you really notice when an asscher or emerald is dirty...

Agree with neat.

My oval stays sparkling while the kites (mixed cuts) in my 3 stone look filthy very easily. Bugs me!

 

[musey]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:52:03 PM
Author: neatfreak
I disagree with it not being the cut...I think step cuts show dirt MUCH more easily than brilliant cuts. Thus, brilliant cuts still look nice when they are a bit dirty and you really notice when an asscher or emerald is dirty...

I think that's the answer to the "which diamond cuts stay looking clean longer." I should've read between the lines a little better I suppose, because I answered the title

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:59:51 PM
Author: musey

Date: 12/8/2008 12:52:03 PM

Author: neatfreak

I disagree with it not being the cut...I think step cuts show dirt MUCH more easily than brilliant cuts. Thus, brilliant cuts still look nice when they are a bit dirty and you really notice when an asscher or emerald is dirty...

I think that''s the answer to the ''which diamond cuts stay looking clean longer.'' I should''ve read between the lines a little better I suppose, because I answered the title

Lol, technically true. I was answering it as "looks clean" longest!

 

[stepcutnut]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:52:03 PM
Author: neatfreak
I disagree with it not being the cut...I think step cuts show dirt MUCH more easily than brilliant cuts. Thus, brilliant cuts still look nice when they are a bit dirty and you really notice when an asscher or emerald is dirty...

I think it is really a matter of opinion...Honestly out of all my diamond shapes, my pink pear(which is a low bezel set ring)-seems to look dirtiest the fastest. So I still hold out that it has alot to do with the setting too

 

[vespergirl]

Date: 12/8/2008 12:16:34 PM
Author: musey
It''s a polished stone that has surface area on which lotion/dust/dirt/etc. collect if given the opportunity. No diamond cut is magically dirt-resistant or self-cleaning

unless your stone''s surface is not polished, it will get dirty only as quickly as any other stone. No diamond ''stays clean longer,'' don''t be silly!!

I seem to recall a few threads (one in particular by vespergirl) by asscher owners perceiving that their stones get dirty faster. I think that the faceting pattern perhaps can be affected more by dirt (visually speaking) than brilliant cuts. That''s all I can figure.

I clean my engagement ring (asscher) only once every few days to a week, and it never looks ''dirty'' to me unless I wear it in the shower (moisturizing products). I remove it for sleep, lotion, shower, and working with my hands (cooking, yardwork, etc.), and it still looks bright and sparkly all the time.

Musey is right, I had an asscher that I was never happy with, because as soon as it had the slightest smudge on it, it looked dull to me. I actually traded asschers a few times, thinking a different stone would do the trick, but I was never satisfied until I traded to an RB.

I LOVE asschers, and ECs, and would love to own them again someday, but for an everyday piece of jewelry, like an engagement ring, I love the RB, because even if I don''t clean it every day, it still sparkles like mad. They also face up much bigger than asschers. Since my ring is a solitaire, I really needed the stone to "pop" on it''s own volition, since the setting doesn''t do anything to jazz it up or add extra sparkle.

We were especially lucky that my husband chose a jeweler that has a lifetime trade-up policy for 100% price of the diamond. So, if you paid $10,000 for the original diamond, that''s the amount that goes toward your new diamond, so we only had to spend a little more to get my new stone.

If you are missing sparkle, though, you may want to try a different setting. Since I knew that I would probably stick with a solitaire for a while, I had to change my stone to get more sparkle. But maybe you could set your asscher in a pave halo, or another setting that will add more sparkle. Good luck!

 

[anitabee]

as a former owner of an emerald (which by the way i loved!), i can vouch for the fact that it showed its dirt ferociously! because of the larger, glassy facets, dirt underneath/side would show like a bitch! anyhoo, it was very fiery, however. don''t let anyone tell you that step cuts aren''t as fiery. they definitely are low on the scintillation/brillance scale but the colors shown could be killer! it was like one of those science class light/color experiment prisms. i even had a student comment on the colors shooting off my rock.

if you''re the right person, step cuts can make you very happy

 

[SandraPaneczko]

Mine are the same way. There are things you can do to help.

Take them off before you shower, soap and conditioner can build up on your stone, lotion has the same effect and it likes to get stuck in the prongs. when cooking would help depending on what your making and how much you have to use you hands etc...

you can clean your rings as much as you want as long as you use a soft brush. diamond cleaning cloths are great too, you can carry them anywhere. They don't work as well as a brush and cleaner but it does help. There are a lot dust particles and dirt in the air that fall on the stone. They can look like carbon spots or feathers until you wipe it off. It can make a big difference. Sometimes the oil from my fingers will cloud the stone, I just wipe it off and its good as new.

Changing to a different cut wont make much of a difference, I hope this helps

Sandra
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