Thinking of giving your diamond ring a bit of a clean, but afraid you might damage it? We’ve spoken to a number of professional jewel cleaners and asked them for their “insider” tips on how to clean a diamond ring safely with products you can find at home.
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Why you should clean your diamond ring stones
Like most people, you probably wear your ring every day. This exposes it to all sorts of dirt, food, grime and household grease such as soap or washing up liquid. Over time, these substances build up on the ring, preventing light from travelling through the diamond. This reduces your ring’s sparkle and brilliance making it look dull and milky (a dirty diamond can end up looking like a diamond 2 to 3 colours lower on the scale).
After spending lots of money on your engagement ring, surely it makes sense to clean it regularly to ensure the ring and diamond look their best at all times?
Can you clean a diamond ring with washing-up liquid?
Washing-up liquid diluted with warm water, and a very soft toothbrush (a small child’s toothbrush is best), are a very effective combination for gently removing dirt and grease from your diamond ring.
Try not to brush too aggressively and to use slow brush strokes. In a short space of time, you should be able to reinvigorate and refresh the sparkle in your diamond.
One other tip using this method is that when cleaning the underside of the stone, you should place your finger against the top, so that there’s no chance of any pressure pushing the stone out.
And of course, make sure the stopper’s in the sink!
Can you use vodka to clean your diamond ring?
In short, yes. It might sound like an old wive’s tale, but the ethanol in vodka is a natural solvent that dissolves dirt molecules attached to the diamond.
Leave your diamond ring in a small glass of vodka for a few minutes and then clean it with a soft toothbrush. Rinse it under a warm tap and rub it dry with a lint-free cloth to give it back its special shine.
If you’d prefer not to use hard spirits, soak the ring in a solution, four parts warm water and one part household ammonia for no more than ten minutes.
Other diamond ring cleaning tips that might work for you
A jeweller friend of mine swears by the ring cleaning properties of a steradent tablet (the ones for dentures). His advice is just to pop a tablet in a cup with boiling water for 5 minutes before running it under the tap and drying with a lint-free cloth.
I have seen some other tips online such as brushing with toothpaste, soaking in Domestos bleach, and evening boiling your ring in a saucepan of water. Aside from the abrasive or corrosive effects of toothpaste and bleach, excessive heat heat can milk diamonds (i.e. turn them a milk coloured white). So I would strongly advise against using any of these methods.
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