As one of the toughest minerals on earth, diamonds are built to withstand a lot. And when they're worn every day, they certainly do go through A LOT. Despite how durable these precious stones are, that's not to say that they don't benefit from a little TLC every now and again.
Cleaning your diamond jewellery will not only help keep your jewellery in tip-top shape, but it will also ensure your stone retains a lot of its sparkle so that you can shimmer endlessly. Over time, dirt, sweat, dust, makeup, fake tan and other pollutants can begin to build up and make diamonds dull and cloudy, which in turn can cause them to lose a lot of their sparkle.
Thankfully, with a lot of precision and some tender loving care, there is a way to stop this from happening with Grahams at-home diamond cleaning.
Diamond Cleaning Overview:
- What To Clean Diamonds With
- What Not To Clean Diamonds With
- How To Clean Diamond Rings
- The Bottom Line
What To Clean Diamonds With
When it comes to cleaning diamonds, there's no need to fork out money to hire someone to do it for you, as diamonds can be washed in the confines of your home-sometimes with the simplest of products.
Here's what you can use to clean your diamonds to get them looking all sparkly and brand new again.
Soap And Water
No matter the metal and setting of your diamond, the best way to clean it is with plain soap and hot water. Simply, grab a small bowl, add warm water and then top it off with some basic dishwashing soap. Depending on how dirty your diamond is, you should aim to soak it in warm soapy water for around 20 to 40 minutes. If your diamond has residue from substances like makeup, fake tan, perfume or hairspray which are hard to remove, use a toothbrush with soft bristles to gently scrub your diamond.
Try to get the bristles underneath the stone so that you can get rid of build-up in those hard to reach places. Following this, remove the diamond from the water and rinse it under running clear water. Its important to thoroughly rinse your stone after cleaning to remove any soap residue so that it doesn't leave any streak marks. Then once you're done, dry your diamond off with a soft cloth. Alternatively, dry your diamond off with a hairdryer for a streak-free finish.
Bi-Carb Soda
If you're quite the baker, chances are you've got some of this stuff sitting in your pantry at home. The ideal solution if you haven't cleaned your diamond in a long time, bi-carb soda will get your rock sparkling again in no time. Using a glass bowl, add in some warm water and a few teaspoons of bi-carb soda.
Allow the diamond to soak in the water for around 20-40 minutes depending on how dirty it is and then gently remove any built-up residue with a soft-bristled toothbrush, ensuring to take special care around those hard-to-reach places in your jewellery. Once the time has elapsed, you can then remove your diamond from the water and bi-card soda mixture and then rinse it off in warm, clear running water. Then, thoroughly dry off your diamond with a soft cloth or towel.
Jewellery Bath Cleaner
For a more professional clean, you can also invest in special jewellery care products like the cleansing bath to get your diamond jewellery looking all nice and new again. These DIY jewellery cleaning machines use ultrasonic sound waves and vibrations to lift dirt and other pollutants off your diamonds. To use this device, you must first pour the cleaning solution provided into the tank up until the first line.
Following this, fill the device up to the top with warm water. Placing your jewellery onto either the carousel or s shaped hook depending on its size, you can then place the device on leaving it for one minute, two if your diamond is extremely dirty. Switching off the machine, you can then remove the diamond and rinse it off in running warm water ensuring that you wash off all traces of the solution.
How To Clean Diamond Rings
Cleaning diamond rings is essentially as easy as following the simple steps above. However, you do need to be aware that certain metals can only be cleaned in certain ways. The easiest way to clean a diamond ring is to soak your ring for about 20 to 40 minutes, gently brush the stone with a very soft toothbrush, and then rinse under warm running water.
What Not To Clean Diamonds With
With diamonds being as old as they are, its no surprise that they have accrued many urban myths and old wife tales of how and what to use to get them sparkling again. These unproven tips have only been exacerbated thanks to the arrival of the internet and often do more harm than good.
Here is what not to clean your diamonds with:
Toothpaste
A common myth is that if toothpaste is good enough to put on your teeth, its good enough to put on your diamonds. However, this is simply not the case. Not only does toothpaste contain ingredients that act as a bleaching agent, but it is also a surprisingly tough substance that can do some serious damage to your diamonds setting.
Ranking in at 4th on the Mohs Scale of Hardness, a fact that will come as a surprise to a lot of people, toothpaste ranks higher on the list than 14-carat gold which ranks 3rd. This means that toothpaste can tarnish and even scratch gold in some situations.
Chemicals Such As Chlorine Or Bleach
If you're thinking about taking your diamond for a dip in your pool or raiding your laundry cupboard to clean it, then think again. Chemicals like chlorine and bleach are incredibly vicious and therefore can cause your jewellery some serious damage. Not only can bleach cause the metals in your diamonds setting to change colour, but it can also break down the alloys in gold-causing the piece to become brittle and break down.
Abrasive household chemicals like bleach can also have the same effect on your jewellery and can also cause some serious corrosion. Chemicals like bleach and chlorine can also be dangerous if not handled properly, resulting in some pretty devastating consequences-especially if they are accidentally ingested or if they get into your eyes.
Scourers Or Rough Brushes
Scourers or scouring pads may be excellent for removing stubborn spaghetti from the bottom of the pan, but not for removing dirt from your diamonds. Made out of metals or plastic mesh, scourer pads are extremely rough and abrasive and could result in you damaging your diamonds setting by scratching the metal on there.
You should also steer clear from rough brushes such as foot and body scrubbers as they can also be tough on jewellery metals which are quite soft. If you do wish to scrub your diamond jewellery, you should stick to a toothbrush with soft bristles.
The Bottom Line
If you're still not 100% certain about how to clean your diamond or jewellery, you can't go wrong with speaking to a professional. This could stop you from doing something which may permanently damage your diamonds. These people work with diamonds and jewellery every day and are guaranteed to be able to answer any queries you have about caring for your piece.