Over time, any piece of fine jewelry becomes dull and dirty from day-to-day use. Diamond rings are no exception. When a diamond starts to get dirty, it loses the shine that makes it so beautiful and reflective of light. How do jewelry stores professionally clean rings? Does cleaning damage the diamonds at all? You shouldn't worry about getting your diamond ring cleaned, because in the hands of a professional, they will sparkle like new with no damage.
If you want your diamond ring cleaned, the best way to go is to get a professional to do it. There are 5 basic steps that jewelers take to clean your diamond:
- Check
- Cleaning
- Polishing
- Steam Cleaning
- Final Inspection
What Does It Mean When A Jeweler Checks My Ring?
Looking at your ring under magnification, a jeweler uses their trained eye to examine your ring. Some of the issues that the jeweler looks for are loose stones and excessive wear on prongs. If your ring needs repair work, the jeweler will not be able to clean the ring. The checking process helps prevent loss of stones during the cleaning process.
How Jewelry Stores Clean Diamond Rings?
If you have cleaned your ring at home before you will see that it is never as good as when the jewelry store does it. But why is that? It is because they have special tools and solutions designed to clean your diamond rings. Here are some of the steps jewelry stores take to clean your diamond rings:
- Use a high grade, quality cleaning solution
- Use ultrasonic vibrations to dislodge dirt and debris from your ring
- Brush the ring using a soft brush
One advantage of having a jewelry store clean your diamond rings rather than cleaning them at home is that they will also be able to polish the ring. There are several different ways to polish a ring. One of the most common ways is for the jeweler to use a polishing station with two different wheels that spin at high speed. The jeweler uses different compounds called rouge applied to the wheels to polish the ring to a high finish.
How Do Jewelry Stores Make Diamond Rings Shine?
Trying to clean your ring at home just doesn’t make it shine like the jewelry store does. This is because your jewelry store will be able to clean, polish, and finally steam clean your diamond rings. Here are the steps they take for the final step of cleaning your diamond rings:
- Rinsing the solution off your ring with water
- steam clean your ring to remove all water and smudges
- makes it shine like new
After all the cleaning process it is important to again check the ring for a final inspection. Using magnification, the jeweler will check for any loose stones and view areas that may have been obstructed by dirt.
Does Cleaning Damage The Diamonds Or The Ring?
Properly cleaning a diamond ring does not damage the diamonds or the ring.
How Often Should You Clean Your Diamond Rings?
The short answer is whenever it gets dirty. If the diamond is not sparkling like it did, stop by and have your ring cleaned. It is free and usually takes about 5 to 10 minutes.
All of these steps combine to make your diamond ring shine and sparkle like it is brand new. When in doubt, get your ring professionally cleaned. You can gently clean your ring between professional cleanings to keep it sparkling longer. You can use a small amount of dishwashing liquid and a soft bristle toothbrush to keep dirt off your ring at home. You should still get your jewelry inspected by a jeweler twice a year to check for wear and damage to the ring.
To learn more about professional cleaning, contact us today.