Maintenance

We all know that a diamond ring looks its best when it shines however it is impossible to keep it smudge free forever. That's completely understandable given the typical wear and tear that a diamond ring experiences on a fairly daily basis. Applying hand cream, moisturizers, shampoo and soap are all part and parcel of our normal everyday activities but they can quickly make your diamond look dull and lackluster. depending on the work you do, it is also quite common to scratch the metal. It therefore make sense to establish good habits from the time you buy your ring and keep it (in the words of Madonna) 'shiny and new'. You will be amazed at the difference it will make to the appearance of your engagement ring, wedding rings and eternity rings by bringing back the natural fire and brilliance while allowing light to transfer easily through a clean stone.

Follow these easy steps and you will have a diamond ring that looks as good as the day you bought it:

1. The first thing you need to do is create a warm bath to put your rings into . Boil the kettle and pour some of the hot, but not boiling, water (approx. 100 ml) from this into a small heatproof bowl.  This will help to break down residue and any dirt or grease that has inevitably built up.
2. Next, add a couple of drops (2-3) of normal washing up liquid to the water and hey presto, now you have your homemade jewellery cleaning solution.  Alternatively, you can use shampoo or shower gel but just make sure that it is a mild soap and doesn't have any moisturiser in it as this can make this diamond look cloudier once it has dried.
3. Remove your engagement ring, diamond rings or any other piece of jewellery that you would like to clean and steep them in this solution.  Ideally, you would leave them to soak for around 20 to 30 mins.
4. Once the allocated time is up, take your diamond rings out and use a soft, fine toothbrush very carefully give it a gentle scrub all over including the band. Also paying particular attention to the side of the head and underneath too as dust can collect easily here.  Make sure the plug is in your sink or basin while you are doing this and rinse the ring and/or jewellery under warm running water when you are finished.
5. Repeat the above steps if necessary and especially if you are using harsh chemicals or liquids day-to-day. Dry with a soft cotton cloth or else leave to air dry. This works, not only for your diamond rings, but also any diamond jewellery.
6. Prepare to be amazed and dazzled again by the sparkle that you will see.
7. In terms of how often you should complete this process, it really all depends on what your jewellery is typically in contact with.  If it's normal activities then once every 4-6 weeks might be enough but if it's being exposed to potentially heavier contamination you might prefer to carry this out twice a month instead.  Incidentally, there is no harm in practicing this once a week either if you have the time.

Professional Jewellery Cleaning Care

There is also the option of bringing your rings to Precision Jewellers where we use an ultrasonic cleaner on them.  This only takes around 2-10 minutes to complete .

Apart from establishing a regular habit of cleaning rings at home, we would also highly recommend that if you have a ring made in white gold that you have it rodium-plated every year to 18 months by our goldsmith to ensure that the metal is brought back to its original glory.  This goes for Gold, Rose Gold and Platinum too but this would require polishing the metal again.

Don'ts of Jewellery Cleaning

There are a few methods that we would strongly discourage when it comes to diamond cleaning.  No matter what you have read online, steer clear of using any bleaches, toothpaste, baking soda or acetone for example as this can tarnish the metal and be unnecessarily abrasive.