Diamond Care

Diamonds are reputed for their durability and resistance to scratching but can be damaged if not well cared for. Diamonds can be scratched by other diamonds, chipped if struck on its edges, or lost if the setting becomes loose. Protect your diamond by wearing it with care and storing each piece in its own padded box or cloth bag. It is best to remove your jewelry when bathing, cleaning, or applying lotions. Chemicals (even sweat) can have an adverse effect on precious metals. To prevent buildup and keep the clarity of your jewelry brilliant, gently wipe it using a lint-free cloth.

Clarity Grade

While not all diamonds have the same clarity grade, maintaining your clear diamond and cleaning cloudy diamonds is a great way to maintain its high value. The clarity grades of your diamonds do not detract from the beauty of clean diamond rings. Diamond manufacturers follow strict guidelines when making up their grading report for specific diamonds. The clarity plot in this report will give you a better idea of microscopic inclusions that might not be visible to the untrained eye. Even when a diamond looks perfectly clear, only a jeweler would be able to tell for sure if the diamond has a high clarity grade or not. 

Lower Clarity Grades

A lower clarity grade does not mean that a stone will become cloudy faster, and it does not mean that it requires less cleaning. Lower clarity grade diamonds can still have that brilliance. The diamond appears beautiful and radiant even with a low clarity grade or some cloud inclusions. Keeping your engagement ring and other jewels clean will ensure a beautiful shine to the naked eye, especially when the light hits it just right. 

How to clean a diamond ring

To clean your diamond ring and maintain that sparkle, or restore a hazy diamond to its former brilliance, soak it for a few minutes in a mixture of warm water and mild dish soap or use a ready-made special cleaning solution for precious gems and crystals. Then you may use a diamond cleaning brush to brush the surface gently. A soft cloth can be used to rub the metal gently. Note that for pave and basket settings, prolonged soaking can increase the chance of gems becoming loose. If dirt is lodged in the setting, it can be carefully removed with a toothpick. If a diamond already appears cloudy or milky, you might need to take it to a jeweler for a deep cleaning before you can start maintaining that brilliance. 

Remember: Your diamond may be scratch-resistant, but the metal is not. Having your jewelry, engagement ring, and wedding ring periodically cleaned and examined by a professional jeweler will help ensure it remains in good condition and maintains its clarity over time.

How to Clean a Cloudy Diamond

As a classic piece of jewelry, a diamond ring and other diamond pieces (the popular and traditional diamond engagement ring) would be found in almost every woman’s jewelry box. Part of taking care of these timeless pieces of diamond jewelry is to know how to clean a cloudy diamond ring.

Although diamonds are the toughest gemstones, without care and maintenance, you will see evidence of a cloudy diamond ring or other pieces with cloudy diamonds. Wearing your diamond ring every day exposes it to dirt, grime, and film layers from lotion, makeup, and hair sprays. Soon your sparkling, eye-catching, clean diamond rings will not look like brand new from the jewelry store but be a bunch of cloudy diamonds mounted on white gold or other precious metals. The diamond’s sparkle comes from the light reflected on the facets and surface of the stone. If the surface is dirty, that’s when the stone turns into a cloudy diamond and is less likely to shine in the light.

Normal Wear

Avoid touching the stone/s on your ring! (It’s understandable that engagement rings are often touched and stroked by the new fiancée.) Put your best effort in not to do that. As an alternative, get into the habit of touching the metal band or the setting instead of the diamond when taking your engagement ring off. This will prevent any buildup of dirt or grease (film from lotions, makeup, soap residue, and other everyday essentials) on the stone’s surface — this buildup really reduces the sparkle and brilliance of your stone!

You can also do a weekly cleaning of your cloudy diamonds at home. To clean your ring at home, you need only common household items like a small bucket of warm water or soapy water, liquid detergent or liquid soap, a brush with soft bristles, and a soft piece of cotton cloth. It’s just a matter of minutes to keep your stone and ring clean. Take note: do NOT use bleaching agents to clean your ring or your diamonds. A cleaner with abrasive chemicals will mar the diamonds’ surface and can permanently damage that brilliant diamond sparkle.

Additional tips for cleaning diamonds weekly come from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), which recommends a once or twice weekly soaking of your diamonds in an ammonia-based glass cleaner overnight. In the morning, you take out the diamonds and gently scrub (not too much force, please!) with a soft toothbrush. This will be the at-home regular weekly cleaning of your ring.

Professional Cleaning

Then at the same time, for maintenance, take your diamonds to the jewelry store, where ultrasonic cleaners will be used to do a deep clean of your diamond rings by a professional local jeweler. An ultrasonic cleaner is for the deep cleansing of your diamonds. Just like you have regular checkups with your doctors, and your car undergoes regular maintenance checkups, your diamonds need this too to help a cloudy diamond gleam and sparkle brightly again!

Jewelry Insurance

Insuring your precious jewelry items, such as your diamond rings, is the best way to protect your investment from unforeseen events, specifically theft inclusions or loss inclusions.

If you decide to insure your jewelry, the first step is to check what coverage is provided by your home insurance. It will likely be less than the value of your piece. Another option is to insure with a specialist diamond insurance company.

Many insurance companies offer insurance specifically for jewelry, such as diamond ring insurance or insurance of your other fine jewelry items, so it is wise to shop around and compare policies and inclusions.

James Allen is a reputable online jeweler and diamond dealer that is also partnered with Jewelers Mutual®, a jewelry insurance company. You can find out more about the policies the company offers and get a quote from them here.

Some points to consider:

• What is the deductible?
• Are you covered for the full cost of the piece?
• Is the policy for a replacement piece or a cash payout?
• What type of appraisal is required, and how often?
• Does the policy cover damage inclusions? Loss or theft abroad inclusions?

Frequently Asked Questions