Care and Cleaning of Diamond Jewelry

Home vs. Jewelry Store

A few tips for at home jewelry cleaning:

  1. Clean your diamond jewelry with cleaner sold or provided by your jeweler. If you are a customer of that jeweler, many will give the solution to you at no charge. Several are ammonia based, such as Parson’s Ammonia, and do a wonderful job of cleaning the metal and diamonds. The goal for cleaning the diamonds is to remove any grease build up from hand lotion, sun tan oil or finger prints (diamonds have a strong affinity for grease and oil).

  2. Household cleaners that cut grease such as 409, Top Job, or Parson’s Ammonia will clean your diamond jewelry. I suggest diluting them 2 to1 with very warm water. Allow the piece to soak for 20 –30 minutes, then use a soft tooth brush to help loosen what has collected on the diamonds, especially on the back of each gem. Rinse with warm water and dry with a lint free cloth.

  3. Do not use chlorine bleach to clean your jewelry. This will not harm the diamonds, but the chlorine will attack the alloys in the metal, and it may become pitted and weakened to the point of breaking. This is a critical problem with the prongs that hold the diamonds in place. It is very important for persons who wear their jewelry when routinely swimming in chlorinated pools to be aware of this.

Advantages of having your jeweler clean your diamond jewelry:

  1. Your jeweler may be able to do a more thorough cleaning than you can at home. I recommend that your jewelry be professionally cleaned and more importantly checked every six months. The jeweler should closely inspect the jewelry for loose or missing stones, cracks in the mounting, wear to the prongs and/or shank, etc.

  2. The initial cleaning procedure begins with the item soaking in a heated commercial cleaning solution while in an ultrasonic cleaning device. The ultrasonic high frequency sound waves move through the liquid, aiding in the release of dirt and oil build-up on diamonds and mounting. If your jewelry has a lot of soap scum, grease from cooking or hand lotion collected in the mounting, the extensive build-up can actually hold the diamonds in place and the ultra-sonic action will then loosen the gems. Remember, it is better for a loose diamond to fall out in the jeweler’s cleaner than have it fall out any other time and be lost forever.

    If the metal is scratched significantly, the jeweler may buff out the scratches creating a like new finish and shine, for an additional charge.

    Note: Jewelry cleaning machines can be purchased for home use, most in the $30.00 to $70.00 range. Inexpensive cleaners will vibrate the liquid, but are not true ultrasonic cleaners, which typically cost $150.00 - $175.00. Most jewelers carry these for purchase.

  3. After ultrasonic cleaning, the jewelry is rinsed in warm water. Holding the item with protective tip-coated tweezers your jewelry is dried with forced steam. This leaves no water spots, only sparkling diamonds and shining metal.

  4. Finally, the last step the jeweler will again inspect your items to ascertain if any diamonds are loose or additional repairs are needed.

*At Hight & Randall, we show you repair needs with the aid of a microscope or digital camera so you can be assured the need and recommendations are appropriate.

Combine frequent “at home cleaning” and the inspection with “deep cleaning” at the jewelry store to keep your jewelry sparkling and safe. This type of inspection may save you the loss of your diamond, if caught in time. Remember, anytime a diamond ring receives trauma such as an unusually hard blow, have it looked at by a professional to make sure the diamonds are all secure. Most professional jewelers do not charge for this service and typically an appointment is not needed.

Wear your jewelry and enjoy the sparkling expression of you.

Barbara Hight-Randall is a Graduate Gemologist and Certified Gemologist Appraiser for Hight & Randall, Personal Jeweler. You can e-mail your jewelry and gem questions to Barbara@personaljeweler.com