why a pave setting ? if you''re ....

[togal]

Date: 6/6/2006 10:57:14 AM
Author: KPL
I thought Sapphires were a no-no in the UC. Along with most other softer stones and pearls, it eats them. And never put a treated stone in the UC either.

I think sapphires are okay in the ultra-sonic as they are farily hard (second in hardness to a diamond, I believe), but not the really soft stones such as emeralds, tanzanite, topaz, etc. I''ve put my sapphire in the ultra-sonic and it was fine.

I also agree that nothing beats the cleaning power of the ultra-sonic. I also used to think my rings were clean before I started using one, then I realized what a really clean diamond looks like. I really wouldn''t buy a diamond ring that couldn''t be clieaned in the ultra-sonic -- it would drive me crazy knowing that my ring wasn''t really clean all the time (but I''m weird

).... I use the ultra-sonic AND steamer every day. I recently bought a pave diamond bracelet (I should actually post a pic of it if I can get a good one), which I''ve been cleaning in the ultra-sonic without any problems (so far, anyway). My jeweller told me go ahead and clean it in the ultra-sonic -- he said that if I were to lose a stone, the US is the safest place to lose it.

 

[Dee*Jay]

Togal - Do you use the same amonia/water/dish soap solution for your sapphire or do you use something else?

 

[togal]

Date: 6/6/2006 11:33:30 AM
Author: Dee*Jay
Togal - Do you use the same amonia/water/dish soap solution for your sapphire or do you use something else?

Dee*Jay - I use Palmolive anti-bacterial dishsoap (because that''s what I happen to have in my kitchen for my dishes) mixed with warm water to clean my sapphire and other jewellery. (I sometimes nuke the water in the microwave for a minute to get it nice and warm before I pour it in the ultra-sonic, because I think it cleans better that way). I know some people use amonia, such as Windex, but I found that it sort of left a film on the jewellery after rinsing. I also found that products like Mr. Clean left a film (maybe they didn''t really, but the rings didn''t look as clean to my eyes as when I use warm water and Palmolive in the ultra-sonic). I also think the dish soap is a gentler way of cleaning the jewellery -- it''s probably okay to use the amonia cleaners, but for some reason it makes me nervous to use such harsh cleaners on gold.

 

[coda72]

Date: 6/6/2006 10:57:14 AM
Author: KPL
I thought Sapphires were a no-no in the UC. Along with most other softer stones and pearls, it eats them. And never put a treated stone in the UC either.

I have used a UC with my sapphire and diamond wedding set almost everyday since Christmas with no problems. As far as I know it''s fine to put sapphires in a UC.

 

[Mara]

jazmine, re WF's stance on US, it could just be more of a 'personal' opinion from person to person than a 'corporate stance' actually...since i have heard that some reps say it's okay to use it on pave, and others don't agree. i think i have heard that Brian said that it's fine. my memory could be faulty but i remember asking something about that and i think that he said it was okay. but i think that maybe Bob does not agree on pave in the US, bob has been in the industry many years so it could be his own experience speaking. if you are really interested in using it...maybe ask brian what he thinks.

 

[Lynn B]

Interesting thread. And you''re LOVING it, aren''t you, DF??!

My old set of rings was shared prong w/ .03 melee and I had no problems using the US to clean them. My new set is fishtail pave made with .02 melee and one thing I really stressed w/ WF was that the rings be US "safe" (for occasional use) and as "durable" as my old set was. Of course there are never any guarantees that no one will ever lose a stone, but WF called my setting a "pave plus" style, meaning (I assume!

) that the stones are set a little "sturdier" than most other (regular) pave. And when I look at the rings under the loupe, I can see that the little stones really do seem to be held in place quite securely with their darling little "prongettes" (my word, not WF''s!

)

And Mara is 100% correct - NO hand cleaning can match a few go-rounds in the US. It is almost unbelievable!

And lastly -- personally, I don''t think I would use an US on any jewelry with the VERY teeny tiny "diamond encrusted" pave style. But that''s just me. I also know that lots of people do, with no loss of stones.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/6/2006 10:28:16 AM
Author: FireGoddess

Date: 6/5/2006 11:20:04 PM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/5/2006 3:06:09 PM
Author: FireGoddess
I agree, and use my ultrasonic on my halo ring several times a week.

But what about those who have already had settings made, and when they check with the maker, the maker says, ''don''t put in in the ultrasonic.'' What to do then? Sorta late to do anything about it at that point. I do think that pave should pass the ultrasonic test if done properly but perhaps over time, we''re all gonna experience a stone coming loose whether done properly or not?

then,i would ask him... is your craftsmenship that bad ?

Gonna say that to Leon Mege? I thought Leon advised several clients not to use an ultrasonic.

I haven''t lost a stone yet to the UC...and seriously the clean is like no other!

hell yes!!! not only would i say it, but punch him on the nose.

if i paid his kind of price for a setting,it better pass the UC test.

 

[Mara]

LOL DF....I would *pay* good money to see you tell LM that his stuff is faulty AND punch him in the nose. Ringside tickets!

 

[FireGoddess]

Sweet! Can I come too?!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Date: 6/6/2006 2:34:17 PM
Author: Mara
LOL DF....I would *pay* good money to see you tell LM that his stuff is faulty AND punch him in the nose. Ringside tickets!

Mara
with your kick boxing skill by my side, i ain''t afraid of nobody,but you probably would pay LM just to get the first lick at me.

i mean really...if i pay LM 8k for a setting, i would at least expect the stones to stay intact !!!. is that too much to expect from a high quality setting?

btw; is Leon a big fellow?

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 6/6/2006 6:34:51 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
i mean really...if i pay LM 8k for a setting, i would at least expect the stones to stay intact !!!. is that too much to expect from a high quality setting?

It better not be!! Esp for that much dough.

Date: 6/6/2006 6:34:51 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
btw; is Leon a big fellow?

How big is your biggest diamond ring? It might not matter, with one well placed punch.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/6/2006 10:57:14 AM
Author: KPL
I thought Sapphires were a no-no in the UC. Along with most other softer stones and pearls, it eats them. And never put a treated stone in the UC either.

sapphire ruby and diamond are fine in the UC nothing else should go in it.
There isn''t a treatment for any of the 3 that I know of that should be damaged by the UC except maybe leaded glass filled stones.

I use zest hand soap for everything but opal and emerald and pearls all of which you should use nothing but distilled water on.

Build up a lather in your hand then run the ring thru the lather and a q-tip as needed then rinse with hot water as long as the stones aren''t chilled before.
It will remove the grease and oil and take most of the grime with it.
If need i then scrap the lather into a cup fill it with warm water and let the ring soak for 20 min gently shaking it every few min.
Then repeat with the lather in the hand routine and a q-tip.
Rinse and pat dry with a soft cloth don''t wipe.
If you have water with a lot of mineral content use distilled water for the soaking part above.

 

[strmrdr]

As for the answer is pave safe in the UC it depends is the answer.
If its done right it is but done right isnt what is in style right now.
There needs to be enough metal over the stone to hold it for a lifetime and thats enough to be UC safe.

The style right now is min metal so you have a choice less metal and replace a few stones once in a while or more metal and less diamond showing.
There really isnt anyway around it until someone comes of with a new workable super strong alloy and that is another contradiction in terms :}

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Well, I am a victim of a missing melee due to my US. I honestly didn''t know pave was so fragile (oh what I have learned on PS!). I picked my setting because I loved the way it looked (I still do). I still have put my e-ring in my US but only once in awhile. I agree with another poster that I rather lose the stone in my SI then somewhere else and my jeweler resets and replaces melee for free. It is still a pain to take it to the jeweler and give up my beauty for a few days but not life or death. I also 100% agree with Mara. NOTHING (that I have tried) cleans better than my US. My EC shows smudges really easily and it looks SOOOO great after its little bath. Hand cleaning is not the same.

 

[Diam100]

Date: 6/6/2006 1:38:59 AM
Author: Dancing Fire

Date: 6/5/2006 11:43:11 PM
Author: Diam100
Yes, I should have edited that dear hubby also added on our walk back home that his birthday was coming up and that ''I'' should buy this monster as a present. So, now I had to buy this huge thing off the internet tonight 10 minutes ago along with a supply of baskets @#$%.....

Hmmmmm wonder what kind of ''Bow'' I should get any ideas on how to wrap DANCINGFIRE!!!!!

Next time I''m keeping the conversation to ''Baubles'' only!

how big is it ?

the same kind of bow that people put on top of the roof on a brand new car.

He wanted a 3 Quart Ultrasonic to fit his train stuff so that''s what the Hubby got & yes I bought a big Bow today

 

[lizz]

Date: 6/6/2006 9:29:57 AM
Author: TheDoctor
Any jeweller who would advise against using an ultrasonic cleaner or a steam cleaner obviously knows that their settings are problematic.
If your setting is made of platinum, a hot tub is no problem.
If it''s made of 14 k white gold, you are in for some disappointments down the road. The chlorine is very destructive to 14 k white, and will eventually destroy the integrity of the metal. Take it off before your dip. The ring...I mean.

I have a platinum ring, and my hot tub is treated with bromine, not chlorine. Would bromine eat away at WG? I try not to wear any WG jewelry in there, but sometimes I forget.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Setting security is always a balance between the size of diamonds and the amount of metal holding them in place. Less metal = less security.

The ‘more diamond – less metal’ look is popular right now. With pave the metal is grooved to create tiny beads that hold the diamonds in place, rather than prongs. With 2-3 pointers (example) a good deal of metal still holds the diamonds in place. As you get smaller there is less security; with micropave extremely little metal is used.

Some of our experts, including Brian, feel reasonable use of an ultrasonic cleaner is not a problem. We also have a few people here with a more conservative position. Regardless, we feel the most important position of all is standing behind the product.

 

[JohnQuixote]

There are 3 primary reasons small stones may fall out.

1. The diamond wasn’t set properly: Among top manufacturers this is uncommon, but is still a possibility.

2. Residue: When a tiny diamond is set it is possible for microscopic particles to exist between a diamond and the setting. Sometimes if the ring is put in an ultrasonic cleaner the residue is lost and the diamond might move or fall out. Fortunately, in a US cleaner, the diamond is easily found.

3. Wear and tear: Some people are heavier on their rings than others. As a ring is knocked or scuffed, metal may be worn away or become loose. Clients who request very thin bands or thin prongs are often advised that the piece is delicate, but the designer cannot know how hard someone will be on the ring.

One person might wear a ring for 100 years with no incidents, but someone else may have a completely different experience with the same ring. It's wonderful to hear of pieces that are decades old and still in mint-condition. My grandmother had a cat that lived for 22 years and I am hoping my cat will too.

Ultimately the best manufacturers stand behind their products. If a stone comes out in the US and there is minimal wear then something didn't allow that stone to sit correctly and the maker should take responsibility. The best ones do.

 

[indecisive]

I could never buy a ring that couldn''t go in my US. I just love how it look right when it comes out. My mom hadn''t cleaned her ring in literally years and a few times in the US and it looked like a totally different ring. I just love it! Is there any rule about putting silver in the US? I read that Mara did it with ammonia and it ate away at it. Can you put it in with soap and water?

 

[FireGoddess]

The US isn''t going to clean tarnished silver. Sharper Image now makes a new US with a 2 blue tanks - one for regular jewelry and one for silver. It either comes with some silver cleaner or you can buy some.

 

[indecisive]

Not tarnished silver, just a silver neclace and ring that I wear all the time and they get kind of "grimy".

 

[Mara]

hehe indecisive, yeah that was a DUH moment for me for sure re: the silver and the harsh chemicals. still haven''t replaced those darn earrings either...