You could tell I'm crazy but...

[stci]

What going on if I put my diamond ring (without melee) to the dishwasher (china crystal cycle)?

 

[JulieN]

do you have something you are sure it will not slip out from?

 

[stci]

The ring in the dishwasher in the cover space. What do you think Julie? Problem with 18 k gold or not?

 

[VRBeauty]

Not surprisingly, you're not the first to think of this:

http://www.jewelerinthedishwasher.com/New-Product.html Designed by a jeweler, or so the pitch goes, and works with your own dishwashing detergent. Lots of blog-type testimonials out there.

YOu won't find me doing this though, because... well... my house does not have a dishwasher!

 

[ame]

Why in the hell would you do this?! Do you WANT your ring to go MIA or get destroyed?!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

What going on if I put my diamond ring (without melee) to the dishwasher (china crystal cycle)?

Is the automatic soap you're using even safe to use?

 

[monarch64]

I'm very interested to know how this turns out. We have a dishwasher basket that has a cover attachment, but I wouldn't trust it not to come flying off mid-cycle even though it never has. The drain in the bottom of the dishwasher has small enough holes that a ring couldn't go through, but a diamond could if it happened to come out of its prongs. I'd be more worried about the diamond, not the ring itself. STCI, do you have an ultrasonic or steam cleaner? Maybe stick with one of those!

 

[ForteKitty]

I can't imagine a dishwasher doing a better job than a toothbrush and some hot soapy water.

My dishwasher has some holes that a ~<1ct diamond might fall into. I would never risk it.

 

[stci]

I'm very interested to know how this turns out. We have a dishwasher basket that has a cover attachment, but I wouldn't trust it not to come flying off mid-cycle even though it never has. The drain in the bottom of the dishwasher has small enough holes that a ring couldn't go through, but a diamond could if it happened to come out of its prongs. I'd be more worried about the diamond, not the ring itself. STCI, do you have an ultrasonic or steam cleaner? Maybe stick with one of those!

Yes I have a steam cleaner. It's just a question who came like this don't know why but it seem that dishwasher can do a good job because I use it to clean all my crystal mouse collection. The result is really amazing! Don't know about the gold in very hot water.

I don't think I'm gonna do this but was curious to know your opinion about this.

 

[cellardoor433]

What going on if I put my diamond ring (without melee) to the dishwasher (china crystal cycle)?

Hmm. It's a bit of a gamble - do you want to find out and how much do you want to keep your ring ???

At any rate, I admire the experimental spirit (I have, by accident, left my antique sapphire and diamond ring in my jeans pocket and it went through coldwater normal cycle in the washing machine, and came out ok), so please let us know how it goes.....

 

[Echidna]

My mum lost a small diamond earring. It turned up 4 months later, wedged post-down in the mesh of our dishwasher

I wouldn't do it by choice, but it didn't seem to do any visible harm.

 

[OneFifty]

I would think that it would get very clean, but what soap to use? It seems like my clear dishwasher soap always leaves a little bit of white stuff on random places, even with a rinse aid. I wouldn't want to try to scrub that out of my setting.

ETA - What about wear and tear? Would it take a beating in the dishwasher?

 

[chrono]

I have accidently put my diamond ring (no melees) in the washer and dryer by accident (pocket of a pair of jeans). I thought myself very fortunate that it did not sustain any damage and I will not do this on purpose again. Was it any cleaner than the US? I have no idea because I was so concerned about potential damage to my e-ring.

With a dishwasher, I'd be concerned about the following:
1. Ring might fall out of the container and get banged around / damaged.
2. Ring might fall out of the container and get flushed down the drain and damaged
3. I don't think the dishwater soap will get it very clean and is likely to leave a residue.
4. Any miniscule dirt in your dishwater will be tossed around the ring, and get stuck in the little nook and crannies.

 

[Maisie]

I cleaned my daughters diamond engagement ring with an electric toothbrush and baking soda. I would dip the brush in water, then into the soda and then scrubbed the diamond. I gave it a really good rinse and it came out absolutely sparkling! It didn't seem to do any damage and i've used it on moissanite too. No scratching at all.

I wouldn't be brave enough to put anything valuable in the dishwasher.

 

[tuffyluvr]

I can't imagine that the harsh, bleach-based dishwasher detergent can be very good for gold, platinum or plating! My mom always made a big deal about not putting the good silver in the dishwasher. She said that it tarnished the silver and could ruin it. Not to mention all the disgusting grease, and food bits that could be deposited and cooked on from the heat of the drying cycle and the danger of losing it down the drain!

 

[VapidLapid]

my main concern would be heat that might anneal the metal if only sufficiently to make the setting less strong. This could lead to losing the stone due to soft pliable prongs sometime after the washing. Do you get baked on crud on your jewelry? If so, it might be more a question of lifestyle than of choice of cleaner. maybe you could just not wear jewelry when you are in those situations that bakes on the cheese.

 

[researchfirst]

I am going to address the comments about Jeweler in the Dishwasher, because I am the inventor of the product. It seems like your main concern is that it may open while it is in the dishwasher. There are a total of 5 locks on this product. There are two on the outer basket, the eggs are threaded; they do not snap together, and the soaker tank's lids fit tightly in place. There has been a LOT of time dedicated to making this product secure. I wouldn't have invested 5+ years of my life to make an unsafe product, and open myself up to potential lawsuits. You might want to research the product a little further, and maybe hold it in your hand, and check out the locks first hand before making statements about the security. Also, in reference to the heat in the dishwasher annealing the ring; I don't mean to be rude, but, it doesn't sound like you have a background in jewelry. There is not enough heat inside of the dishwasher to soften the metal. If that were true, then you woudn't be able to steam a ring, or put it in an ultrasonic. In response to the comment about the bleach; it's not as though the bleach is full strength. This product has been tested by several companies, all with positive results. It has been written up in Good Housekeeping magazine, it has won the Retailers' Choice Award, and the Pitch Tank Gold Award. If you would like any other information, I would be glad to provide it. I would be remiss not to address the comments that I have read on this website. I have included a before and after picture of the a ring that I just cleaned yesterday. I did not touch up the photos, the ring was extremely dirty when I received it. There was no additional cleaning processes used after the ring was removed from the Jeweler in the Dishwasher and then the remaining residue was brushed away. I know someone mentioned using and electric toothbrush and baking soda, but that's not going to do anything in areas where the brush can't reach.

 

[VapidLapid]

"Also, in reference to the heat in the dishwasher annealing the ring; I don't mean to be rude, but, it doesn't sound like you have a background in jewelry. There is not enough heat inside of the dishwasher to soften the metal. If that were true, then you woudn't be able to steam a ring, or put it in an ultrasonic."

Well if you don't mean to be rude then it is just an inevitability that you seem content with.
Not enough heat in the dishwasher to soften the metal? Is there only one metal or do they all, in all their alloys, anneal at the same temperature, O expert with background in jewelry? Tell us at what temperature do you anneal 24kt gold or 999 fine silver? and while you're at it, just how hot are you using your ultrasonic?. I don't object to you posting a reply to this thread, but if you can't be civil, polite and truthful you will only succeed in making yourself, and your product look bad.

 

[HopeDream]

I've cleaned rings in the dishwasher by safetypinning them to a small measuring spoon (use a stainless steel safety pin) and putting them in with the cutlery. I choose a nice secure safety pin.

I do it maybe once a year (or once every few years for friends or family). It gets them nice and sparkly. It's certainly not a daily or weekly cleaning regime, but once in a while for a ring of durable materials (eg diaonds and gold/platinum) I don't think it does major damage.

I think it's especially useful if you get a fun new play ring on the secondary market and it arrives all crudded-up.

Make sure your stones are securely set before washing!

 

[Jennifer W]

"Also, in reference to the heat in the dishwasher annealing the ring; I don't mean to be rude, but, it doesn't sound like you have a background in jewelry. There is not enough heat inside of the dishwasher to soften the metal. If that were true, then you woudn't be able to steam a ring, or put it in an ultrasonic."

Well if you don't mean to be rude then it is just an inevitability that you seem content with.
Not enough heat in the dishwasher to soften the metal? Is there only one metal or do they all, in all their alloys, anneal at the same temperature, O expert with background in jewelry? Tell us at what temperature do you anneal 24kt gold or 999 fine silver? and while you're at it, just how hot are you using your ultrasonic?. I don't object to you posting a reply to this thread, but if you can't be civil, polite and truthful you will only succeed in making yourself, and your product look bad.

Hi VapidLapid, Interesting question! I'm not an expert either, just an enthusiastic amateur when it comes to metal work, but this might help? Sterling silver anneals at between 1100f and 1200. Fine silver can go a touch hotter. It would begin to glow a visible red from about 900f. I've never worked in gold, but from my bench manual, I see that the annealing temp for 18k white gold will be in the 1300 - 1400 f range, depending on alloy. So, I don't think the dishwasher is going to get close to a temperature that would cause a problem with the structure or stability of the metal itself.

 

[Jennifer W]

I can't imagine that the harsh, bleach-based dishwasher detergent can be very good for gold, platinum or plating! My mom always made a big deal about not putting the good silver in the dishwasher. She said that it tarnished the silver and could ruin it. Not to mention all the disgusting grease, and food bits that could be deposited and cooked on from the heat of the drying cycle and the danger of losing it down the drain!

I don't get out much, and I've looked into this. If you put silver cutlery in the dishwasher, with stainless steel or other metals, you can get something akin to a fairly crude electoplating process going on in there, taking the silver off. It isn't tarnish, so much as damage to the layer of silver plated onto the silver cutlery (unless it's solid silver, but my cutlery is all silver plate). However, if you wash silver cutlery in the dishwasher when there's nothing else in it, with a little washing soda, it does a beautiful job of removing tarnish and restoring lustre. I am way too lazy to polish the cutlery, so yeah, I've done some research here...

 

[VapidLapid]

~400 ºF and 600ºF are the correct answers for 24k and 999. The alloys are much hotter.

 

[JewelFreak]

I imagine all dishwasher detergents have some abrasive qualities, even the so-called gentle ones -- otherwise, they would not get stuff off of plates as well. It would worry me that this might make miniscule, if not bigger, scratches on the gold.

 

[VapidLapid]

From wikipedia:

Items unsuitable for the dishwasher

Lead crystal should not be cleaned in a dishwasher as the corrosive effect of dishwasher detergent is high on such types of glass – that is, it will quickly go 'cloudy'. In addition, the lead in the crystal glass can be converted into a soluble form, which could endanger the health of subsequent users.[12] Some items can be damaged if washed in a dishwasher because of the effects of the chemicals and hot water. Aluminium items will discolour. Saucepan manufacturers often recommend handwashing due to the harsh effects of the chemicals on the pan coatings.[13] Valuable items – such as antiques or hand-painted items, should be washed by hand as they may be dulled or damaged, and detergents will gradually fade the glazing and print. Sterling silver and pewter will oxidize and discolour from the heat. Furthermore, pewter has a low melting point and may warp in some dishwashers.[14] Cast iron is likely to rust in a dishwasher.

also

Limescale deposit

If the dishwasher has run out of the salt that recharges the ion exchange resin that softens the water, and the water supply is "hard", limescale deposits can appear on all items, but are especially visible on glassware. It can be removed by cleaning with vinegar or lemon juice, or a proprietary limescale removal agent. The dishwasher should either be recharged with salt, adjusted appropriately for the hardness of the supply water – or possibly this is a symptom of failure of the ion exchange resin in the water softener (which is one of the more expensive components). The resin may have stopped working because it has been poisoned by iron or manganese salts in the supply water.
Silicate filming/etching/accelerated crack corrosion

This film starts as an iridescence or "oil-film" effect on glassware, and progresses into a "milky" or "cloudy" appearance (which is not a deposit) that cannot be polished off or removed like limescale. It is formed because the detergent is strongly alkaline (basic) and glass dissolves slowly in alkaline aqueous solution. It becomes less soluble in the presence of silicates in the water (added as anti-metal-corrosion agents in the dishwasher detergent). Since the cloudy appearance is due to nonuniform glass dissolution, it is (somewhat paradoxically) less marked if dissolution is higher, i.e. if a silicate-free detergent is used; also, in certain cases, the etching will primarily be seen in areas that have microscopic surface cracks as a result of the items' manufacturing.[8][9] Limitation of this undesirable reaction is possible by controlling water hardness, detergent load and temperature.[10] The type of glass is an important factor in determining if this effect is a problem. Some dishwashers can reduce this etching effect by automatically dispensing the correct amount of detergent throughout the wash cycle based on the level of water hardness programmed.

 

[researchfirst]

Okay, so I was afraid of this. I obviously hurt someone's feelings, but had no intention of doing so. I was just trying to point out that this product is being criticized, yet, you haven't even ever seen it in person, or tried using it. If the temperature in the dishwasher got hot enough to anneal gold, silver or platinum, then it would melt any plastic pieces that were placed inside. The temperature in the dishwasher is going to be somewhere between 120-150 degrees. Not nearly enough to anneal the pieces enclosed. As far as limescale residue; we have very hard water at our house, and since phosphates have been removed from dishwasher detergent, we had issues with a heavy white coating on everything. We have since started using lemi shine, and I have found that this brightens the metal even more. Addressing the courseness of the detergent; the openings in the eggs and soaker tank are extremely small, nothing is getting blasted inside. Instead, it is trickling inside and is soaking the enclosed pieces. I have added some pictures of a couple of pieces that I have recently designed and made, just so you can see that I do work on fine jewelry. That I truly do have the expertise that qualifies me to make this product. Contrary to what you say, I really am not being rude. I love this product; not just because I invented it, but, because it really does work.