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.
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
To maintain the brilliance and sparkle of your cloudy diamond ring, take it to a jeweler for professional cleaning. It is just like our regular 2x/year checkups with the dentist and personal doctor or car routine maintenance; your diamond rings will significantly benefit and maintain their great value for money.
More additional tips for a clean diamond on your ring mounted on a gold setting is soaking in beer then brushing with a soft bristle brush!
In a small bucket with lukewarm water with dissolved mild detergent. Mix carefully, so the solution becomes a homogeneous soapy mixture.
Soak your milky diamond rings in the solution for 5 minutes for cleaning of accumulated dirt and grime.
At the same time, prepare a second bucket filled with warm water. Add ammonia-based glass cleaner. Do NOT use chlorine-based cleaners because that would react negatively with some metal parts of your diamond ring. Then transfer your ring to the second bucket for a deeper cleaning soak.
After a few minutes of soaking, take out the ring and brush with care all sides of the ring, especially the edges and backside where dirt usually builds up. After brushing, soak back in the mild detergent bucket.
Then rinse your ring under running water. Ensure that the drain is covered so if the ring slips from your grasp, you don’t lose it.
Then wipe the ring with a soft fiber cloth. Do not allow the water to evaporate after rinsing because this will leave marks on the stone.
There could also be accidents while the stone is being set on the band.
Daily Wear-and-Tear. Common accidents and incidents can cause damage to the diamond. When two diamond rings are beside each other, and the stones chip each other. Exposure to high heat. Snagging your jewelry on your clothing or hitting it against a piece of furniture. Generally, if you are careful in your daily activities, your jewelry will not be damaged.