Importance of Maintaining Your Diamond’s Brilliance
Any high quality, well-cut diamond should naturally sparkle under light. The more brilliant a diamond is, the more it will cost you, so you'd want to ensure you’re getting the absolute most out of your gorgeous gem!
Over time, a diamond can attract dirt and oil, decreasing its sparkle and making it appear dull. To get the best wear out of your diamond jewellery, especially significant pieces like your diamond engagement ring, you should ensure to keep your diamond as clean as possible. Try following these simple tips and tricks to make your diamond sparkle more.
A Brief Overview of Diamond Care
There are many tips and tricks to help keep your diamond sparkling like new. It is recommended to gently clean your diamond on a regular basis. You should avoid exposing your diamond jewellery to any harsh chemicals and schedule routine cleaning and maintenance with your jeweller.
As a general rule of thumb, try your best not to touch the diamond too much. Your hands and fingers naturally produce oil and pick up dirt throughout the day. If you touch your diamond, the oil is very easily transferred from your fingers to the diamond, making the sparkly gemstone appear dull.
Regular Cleaning
Cleaning your diamond jewellery on a regular basis will ensure it keeps its sparkle. You may be wondering how to clean your diamond at home, but don't worry, and it is a lot easier than you may think!
Use Gentle Cleaning Solutions
The Gemologist Institute of America (GIA) recommends gently cleaning your diamonds by soaking them in a mild degreasing solution, such as water and a few drops of dish soap. This helps remove any oils and grease that may build up from regular wear.
Avoid Harsh Chemicals
Chemicals such as chlorine bleach, or abrasives (household cleansers or toothpaste) are too harsh and should never be used to clean your diamond jewellery. Chemicals like chlorine can damage the metals that the diamonds are set in, and abrasives can scratch gold and other metals.
Soft Brushing Techniques
After removing from the solution, lightly brush the diamond with a soft, clean toothbrush, to remove any remaining dirt in hard-to-reach places. Ensure the toothbrush is new and solely used for cleaning your diamonds. Brush the jewellery using a gentle touch, before rinsing with water and drying with a soft, lint-free cloth.
Frequency of Cleaning
It is advised to clean your diamonds like this once or twice a week, to avoid a build up of any dirt or oils. If you are cleaning your diamond jewellery over a sink, ensure the drain is plugged to prevent any loss of precious items.
Safe Storage
The way you store your diamond jewellery can help protect it from harsh chemicals and unfavourable conditions, preventing it from damage.
Choosing The Right Jewellery Box
When it comes to safely storing your diamond jewellery, it is recommended to place them in a dry box in room temperature, protecting the jewellery’s quality from deterioration over time. Fine jewellery should also be stored in a soft-lined box to protect it from damage.
Separating Diamonds from Other Jewellery
As you may already know, diamonds are very durable, and it’s said the only thing that can scratch a diamond is another diamond. So, what if you have multiple pieces of diamond jewellery? It is best to store each diamond piece separately. If you want to keep your jewellery all in one place, consider using a jewellery box that contains multiple smaller sections and compartments. This way you can keep your jewellery all in one place without the risk of pieces scratching one another.
Properly Securing Your Diamonds
To avoid having your diamond jewellery jumbled around in its storage box, ensure you get a jewellery box that is cushioned and ideally designed to hold the jewellery in place and prevent it from moving around and knocking into anything else. This will help keep your jewellery safe from damage while in storage.
Mindful Wearing
How you wear your diamond rings and jewellery can also impact its sparkle and overall maintenance.
Avoid Contact with Chemicals
Diamonds attract oil and dirt quite easily, and harsh chemicals can cause damage to the settings of the diamond. Make sure to remove your diamond jewellery before applying any products that contain oils or chemicals, such as skin care products and perfumes.
Take Off Your Diamonds for Certain Activities
To reduce how often you need to clean your diamonds, consider removing them for activities where there is a risk of them getting dirty or damaged. For example, avoid wearing jewellery during strenuous activities like playing sports, cooking, or baking, or any other activity that heavily requires the use of your hands.
Be Cautious of Prong Settings
Be wary not to cause damage to the prongs in which the diamonds are set. If the prongs break, the diamonds may become loose and risk falling or being damaged. Take especial care for any vintage or antique jewellery, as the metal is more likely to have deteriorated over time.
Schedule Routine Cleaning and Maintenance
Get Your Diamond Professionally Cleaned
Make sure to have your diamond jewellery, especially your diamond rings, professionally cleaned and maintained at your trusted jeweller, where they can also ensure the prongs are tight, the diamond isn’t loose, and there are no cracks in the shank.
It is recommended to bring your diamond ring and other diamond jewellery to your jewellers to get professionally cleaned at least twice a year. However, there is no harm discussing this with your jeweller, as individual circumstances may require more than this.
Schedule a Visit to Your Jeweller
Here at Paul Sheeran Jewellers, we offer our customers a complimentary cleaning and maintenance service for all jewellery bought with us. This service includes our expert jewellers checking the prongs and settings of your diamond jewellery, before putting them in an ultrasonic cleaner. The jewellery is then steam cleaned, to ensure your diamond leaves looking sparkling new.
If your wedding is coming up, we also offer our customers a complementary refurbishing for your engagement ring, which typically has a charge, to ensure it looks as good as new for the special day! This service includes the same cleaning process, with an additional rhodium plating and polishing of your diamond ring.
Insure Your Diamonds
Some important advice from our experts; ensure you’re insured! Our diamonds are precious to us, and incredibly valuable. It is not abnormal for a diamond ring to cost as much as a car, and is a lot easier to lose. Having the right coverage for your diamond jewellery, whether it is on the homeowner policy or a separate policy of its own, can give you that peace of mind as well as protection against loss, theft, or damage.
We would also advise you take a picture of your jewellery before insuring it. This way, if something was to happen to it, you have a reference for what your jewellery looked like when it was insured.
These are just a few helpful tips to make sure your diamond jewellery retains its gorgeous sparkle. Keeping a careful eye out for any dullness and following the steps above can help keep your diamond shining as brightly as the day it was purchased.
If you feel your diamond needs a professional clean, please don’t hesitate to visit our services department, where we would be happy to give you some further advice on how best to keep your diamond sparkling!
