How to Care for Your Diamond Ring?

The diamond ring is a classic piece of jewelry and always looks stunning whether in everyday settings or on special occasions. Although diamonds are the hardest substance known to man, even the toughest gems do need care to maintain their fire and brilliance. You wouldn’t dream of wearing a suit or dress that’s all wrinkled and dirty, so why wear a diamond that’s all dull and lifeless?

Most people are guilty of causing their diamond jewelry to become dirty. This is because people wear their jewelry while bathing, cooking, or cleaning, etc. Soap residues, chemicals and other substances stick to your jewelry and form a layer of grime causing it to look terrible. Kind of like a suit you took out of the hamper.

Instead of running to a jewelry store every week, here are a few simple things that you can do to keep your jewelry looking good.

Storage

• Never store your jewelry items together. It’s best to separate them in separate plastic bags or other types of soft fabric pouches to prevent them from banging into each other. Putting a pair of ear-studs in your pocket book without wrapping them or placing them in separate pouches is a recipe for disaster. They can scratch each other, and even cause one or the other to break.
• Moreover, keep your ring away from other items, whether in your jewelry box or pocket book. Make sure each piece of jewelry is in a separate pouch to insure that it won’t get damaged.

Wear and Tear

• Try not to wear your rings while performing heavy duty tasks like gardening, sports, or working out. Although diamonds are hard, they are brittle as well. Even minor bangs and dings can cause microscopic chips and breaks. Wearing your diamond ring during any kind of sports, or exercise programs means running the risk of banging or smacking it against hard surfaces. Just a light bang into a piece of workout equipment can cause very serious damage to a diamond.
• Gardening is a real big no-no. Never wear your diamond rings while gardening. The dirt is made up of tiny little pebbles that over time can cause scratches or abrasions.

Also the dirt tends to get underneath the ring and accumulate in hard to reach crevices. Later you may think that you’ve rinsed it off, but some of the dirt will remain and slowly cause your diamond to lose its sparkle.

Careful with the Lotions

• Try to remove your diamond ring before you take a shower or bath to avoid soap and dirt from accumulating in the little holes and crevices, causing the diamonds to look dull and lack brilliance.
• Apply lotions, creams and makeup before putting on your diamond ring.

Cleaning

• Ammonia is a great jewelry cleaner. You can soak the ring in a bowl that contains four parts warm water and one part of household ammonia, however ammonia is not easy to work with. Always remember to be in a well ventilated area to avoid the fumes and to wear protective eye gear. Afterwards, rinse the ring in warm water and dry it off with a soft cloth or paper towel.
• A safer way, if you don’t want to use ammonia, is to take a bowl filled with warm soapy water. For frothing you can use shampoo or detergent. Dip the ring in this liquid for 30 minutes, and then gently scrub with a brush. Rinse it in warm water and wipe it off with a clean cotton cloth or paper towel.
• Or else you can use a good at-home jewelry cleaner, or have your jeweler       steam-clean your jewelry.

Regular maintenance

• It’s always a good idea to keep your jewelry clean. Regular maintenance using some of the suggestions we’ve talked about, will make cleaning them much easier, and help your diamonds to sparkle and look their best.