Why ultrasonic cleaner?

[gladstone]

My wife has a 1.25ct solitare and a pair of 1.00ct earings. She never wear does housework or take a shower with her rings. I soak them in jewelry cleaner once a week and then wipe them clean with lint-free tissue. When I loupe them, they look clean.

My mother wears her earings for months and clean them twice a year. Now that require ultrasonic cleaning.

My question is: why do I need an ultrasonic cleaner if my wife takes it off as soon as she gets home?

I am looking at this:

http://www.nationaljewelerssupplies.com/page/NJS/PROD/SK1718

I already have the jewejet. Do I need a Ultrasonic cleaner?

 

[Lynn B]

Well, you're probably asking the wrong bunch

because we are all rather nutso about keeping our diamonds squeaky clean. I clean my rings every day with liquid jewelry cleaner and a soft toothbrush and I also have a Jewel-Jet steamer. But I can tell you that the ultrasonic (I have a Sharper Image one) gets my diamonds cleaner and more beautiful than any other method... and it is VERY noticeable.

If you do a search for "ultrasonic" you will find HOURS of reading enjoyment!

 

[gladstone]

I have always thought that:

You soak with cleaning solution with or without Ultrasonic cleaner.

... then you steam the diamond. Steaming is like rinsing and drying in one shot so that no film left.


Is that true? I am confused that people talk about Ultrasonic or Steamer. I though you need both to do cleaning.

Can you soak it in amonia overnight and steam it? Ultrasonic does nothing except loosening the dirt on the jewelry. If you don''t do housework with your ring on, there isn''t really much that an overnight soaking won''t remove.

 

[ephemery1]

In my experience, ultrasonic cleaners take care of the everyday grime on a stone in a way that most other methods can''t quite reach. I don''t wear my ring to do anything "dirty", and clean it at least once a day... yet there is still a remarkable difference when I take it out of the US cleaner from when I put it in. And if I am away and using a toothbrush/windex method for cleaning instead, my ring appears visibly less sparkly.

I know plenty of people who are just perfectly content to shine up their stone on their shirt sleeve every once in a while, but thanks to Pricescope, I''m now hopelessly addicted to the sparkle I get from my ultrasonic! But that''s really just a personal preference...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 7/31/2006 9:30:01 PM
Author: gladstone
I have always thought that:

You soak with cleaning solution with or without Ultrasonic cleaner.

... then you steam the diamond. Steaming is like rinsing and drying in one shot so that no film left.


Is that true? I am confused that people talk about Ultrasonic or Steamer. I though you need both to do cleaning.

Can you soak it in amonia overnight and steam it? Ultrasonic does nothing except loosening the dirt on the jewelry. If you don''t do housework with your ring on, there isn''t really much that an overnight soaking won''t remove.

No, you should not soak it overnight in amonia. I believe that can damage the metal. You can certainly manage without an ultrasonic. I have for 29 years. But I plan to get one for my new diamond because I want it to be sparkly clean for my own enjoyment!

 

[Kaleigh]

I am very much like your wife. I take off my rings once I am home, don''t wear them doing chores or cooking. But the Ultasonic does a fabulous job, and the difference is amazing. You''d think that they wouldn''t get dirty but truth is they do. Diamonds seem to attract dirt, dust etc... Once you see the difference you''ll know what we are talking about. As mentioned before there is a great thread on this topic. I''d read it. Just do a search on Ultrasonic cleaners and you can find it.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 7/31/2006 8:58:54 PM
Author:gladstone

My wife has a 1.25ct solitare and a pair of 1.00ct earings. She never wear does housework or take a shower with her rings. I soak them in jewelry cleaner once a week and then wipe them clean with lint-free tissue. When I loupe them, they look clean.

My question is: why do I need an ultrasonic cleaner if my wife takes it off as soon as she gets home?

You''d be amazed at how much grime can collect on a diamond in just a few hours of wear!

I had no idea how dirty they could really get until I went to visit Whiteflash. I had just cleaned my earrings THAT very morning - a mere 5 hours earlier. Had sprayed them with jewelry cleaner and scrubbed the daylights out of them. Yet, when a friend looked at my earrings next to brand new stones during our visit, my earrings looked filthy! The kind gentleman at Whiteflash put my earrings through the ultrasonic, and voila! It was like getting brand new earrings. .....I could NOT believe the difference!

Brian mentioned that earrings pick up everything......hair product residue, oils from the skin, etc. Diamonds are like a magnet to grease and oil.

Once I saw this, I bought an ultrasonic myself, and my stones have never been so clean.

Does your wife NEED one? Well, need is a strong word. Most of us don''t truly ''need'' one; we could live without it. But, what''s the point of your wife having nice jewelry if it doesn''t look its best? Diamonds looks best when they are CLEAN.

 

[Lorelei]

Gladstone, I have heard one of the pros say to not soak for more than half an hour in ammonia as it could harm the setting, this is the rule I follow

 

[Groovy Chick]

It is worth getting an ultrasonic IMO because they don''t cost very much but make a remarkable difference to the appearance of your diamond. Seeing as you''ve spent so much on the diamond I figure it''s worth the few extra bucks to keep it looking it''s best. However, I find the ultrasonic on it''s own isn''t enough and after I take it out I give it a clean with an electric toothbrush and dishwashing liquid and it comes up like new. I often do this more than once a day coz the result is so amazing. I would never admit that anywhere else but here lol! DH keeps shaking his head and saying "you''re obsessed" and my reply is a simple "yep, I certainly am!". At least he knows I appreciate my ring!

 

[gladstone]

I know US cleaner does a great job (after reading all other post). The question again is:

Do I need an US when I already have a JEWEL jet?


soaking in ammonia will sure loosen most of the grime - the steammer will blast the rest away....

I believe the steamer is what give diamonds the 'jeweler clean' look

Money is not a subject in this case (it's cheap) but I hate to accumulate toys - you know what I mean

 

[Lynn B]

I have the Jewel Jet steamer, too. And I can tell you that cleaning a diamond in solution and then steaming it dry does NOT do the same AMAZING job as ultra-sonicking (sp?!

) and steam cleaning will. There is STILL a visible and NOTICEABLE difference! Honestly, IMVHO, there''s just NO substitute for an ultrasonic.

 

[gladstone]

Can you live with just Ultrasonic cleaner but no steamer?

Doesn''t the cleaning liquid from the US dry and leave a film on the diamond if you don''t steam it?

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/1/2006 10:35:36 AM
Author: gladstone
Can you live with just Ultrasonic cleaner but no steamer?

Doesn''t the cleaning liquid from the US dry and leave a film on the diamond if you don''t steam it?

Personally, yes, I can (and do) live without a steamer.

No, the liquid from the US doesn''t dry and leave a film; you rinse the ring in water after removable from the US and wipe with a lint-free cloth.

It seems you really want to stick with the Jewel jet, so why not just do that?

 

[SuzyQZ]

I use jewelry cleaner, US and a Jewel Jet in that order. Are the US and the the Jewel Jet necessary? No. Does it make a difference? Absolutely Yes!

The difference is between a clean ring (using just jewelry cleaner/dish washing liquid and a brush) and the highest level of squeaky clean to bring out that WOW fire and sparkle light show!!

You know how when you get your jewelry cleaned at the jewelers and they hand it back to you and you can''t believe it''s the same ring you gave them?? And you just have to say WOW out loud!!! That''s what I''m talking about.

That amazement at your diamond''s sparkle and fire that makes you say "WOW" is what you get when you clean, US and steam your diamond.

It is not necessary to do all three processes and your rings will look good with just some amonia, dish washing liquid and a soft brush!

But for me... I''m addicted to that WOW factor. I''m just always amazed, no matter how many times I see my diamond at it''s cleanest. I just have to say "WOW" out loud all over again. It''s a delight for my eyes and I just can''t see it enough and I''m so proud of my sparklies when they are looking their best!

 

[gladstone]

How much water does the SI ultrasonic cleaner hold? 1 pint,1 quart?

 

[bookworm21]

I think it holds, according to my guesstimate: 1 - 1 1/2 cups of liquid.

And I love it, it makes a huge difference in the sparkle of my stone, and I go nuts when I go on vacation and all I have available to use is a brush and jewelry cleaner because it doesn''t sparkle the same and I notice it in all kinds of lighting. Phew. These OCDs, I''m telling you....

 

[gladstone]

I ordered a GemOro 1 pint Ultrasonic cleaner today for $122.00. It''s the smallest professional version they make. I did a little research and decided on a no-heat one because it takes 10 minutes to heat hot water and 20 minutes to heat cold water. I can''t see myself waiting that long to just clean a few items. I was told the heat feature is for professional use where they turn in on one the store opens and leave it heated all day.

Why not a mini-ultrasonic from Ebay? Because I know my wife diamond assets will only increase over time and looks like I will use this machine for a life time. It''s not like some hobby where you stop after a while.

Now, I have a Ultrasonic and steamer.

 

[gemmy1]

ultrasonic cleaners are great for loosening built up residue, particularly in hard to reach places. A prong set solitaire that provides plenty of access can be cleaned pretty throroughly by soaking and light brushing with a toothbrush. Other styles (channel set, bezel set, pave, etc) are not easy to physically clean and greatly benefit from ultrasonic.

As has been pointed out the real magic is steam cleaning to remove the loosened residue.

A couple of words of caution about industrial strength steam cleaners:
Soft stones and organics (pearls, amber, coral,etc) can be damaged.
Do not let multiple items vibrate against one another.
Ultrasonic can loosen more than just dirt and grime- It is not uncommon to find small stones loose in the bottom of the cleaner, particularly pave styles.


If you are on the obsessive side and prone to repeated prolonged use, you might consider one of the vibrasonic cleaners (Blitz makes a nice one). They do basically the same thing but are not as powerful. They are also not as expensive.

For many people the vibrasonic and steam combo is probably the best regimen. The trick is to keep the build up from getting to the point where the steam can't blow it away. Then, once a year or so, a trip to the jeweler for professional cleaning and inspection is a good practice.

 

[gladstone]

I only clean jewelry once a week. Some ladies on PS does it everyday.

I loupe the stones weekly. I basically gave them checkup every week. I have not heard from any credible site that warn about UC loosen stones.

If a stone falls out because of UC cleaning, it will fall out somewhere else anyway. As Consumer Gem Lab puts it:

"If a stone does fall out, consider that its better to fall out in the ultrasonic where you can recover the stone, than somewhere else. "

 

[gladstone]

I had an opportunity to look at diamond on a gem microscope at EGL. Rinsing it with water (after ultrasonic cleaning) still leave a film and some round color spot on your diamond. Only hot powerful steam can truly dry it and make it sparkly clean. If you don''t beleive me, wash your wine glasses and then let it dry and have a look. This is why bartenders shine them by hand.

 

[ladykemma]

that''s why i dry them with a soft terry bar mop after rinsing.

 

[Ellen]

I use a blow dryer.

On my diamond, not my wine glasses.

 

[Shay37]

Date: 8/3/2006 6:36:16 PM
Author: Ellen
I use a blow dryer.

On my diamond, not my wine glasses.

I use canned air for cleaning computer keyboards etc. to dry my ring after it''s been cleaned.

shay