How to Clean Your Engagement Ring

Ensuring that your diamond or sapphire engagement maintains its quality long into the future is every buyer’s wish. But what are the things you need to do to ensure that this becomes so? Here we will provide a general but informative breakdown of the engagement ring cleaning and maintenance process. Engagement rings, like jewels that are worn everyday wear leads to the build-up of layers of oil, dust and cosmetic residue, which can cause the ring to lose its lustre and sheen. Problematically, the gathering of dust and other impurities can come to house bacteria and other pathogens. Further, failing to clean your ring properly clean can result in other issues like discolouration of the metal, and even potentially give rise to allergic reactions. So knowing why and how to clean your engagement ring is an important part of owning one. Whilst there is no single best recipe for a good home clean up for your engagement ring, there are certain factors that are best to keep in mind when it comes to carrying out this process, particularly in relation to ring type with respect to the gemstone in use, the kind of precious metal, and the period of time you have had your engagement ring in use.

The Fundamentals of Engagement Ring Maintenance

When it comes to engagement ring maintenance, cleaning is the first and basic step. Basic soap is one of the best cleaners that you can find for your ring. This can be carried out with a bowl of warm water, a brush with soft bristles (a new one) and a soft cotton cloth. First, make a solution with warm water and dishwashing soap. Soak the engagement ring for about 30 minutes in the soap solution and clean gently with a soft-bristled toothbrush. Once the dust and residue have been removed, rinse the ring under warm water. Once your engagement ring is clean you can now wipe it with a soft cloth or let it air dry. It is best to avoid wiping the ring with paper towels as this can scratch the metal and the gemstone. Shampoos and body washes can also be used but it is best to avoid using moisturiser. The presence of moisturiser can leave an unwanted film on your ring. Cleaning your ring once a week at home is recommended. This can be carried out once a fortnight, which can help remove the daily oil and other build-ups. In case you have time for ring maintenance with it is advisable to take off your ring during activities that might damage it or lead to the presence of impurities.

Avoid Using Products Containing Strong or Multiple Chemicals

In practice, it is best to steer clear of harsh chemicals like sanitisers, bleaches. These products contain harsh chemicals that can damage your ring. Also, it is best to avoid using abrasive products like toothpaste and baking soda which, depending on the metal or gemstone type of the ring, can scratch the metal and the gemstone of your ring, or possibly cause undesirable colouring on the metal’s surface. In practice, whilst it is tempting to use materials that are found around the home, and depending on the perceived durability of metals and gemstones, this may seem like the right way to go, however, it is best to know the chemical composition of the materials and the type of environment under which the cleaning and maintenance take place, as the presence of high heat and/or extreme cold can have considerable effects, potentially affecting your diamond or sapphire or any other type of engagement ring in a negative way.

Using Ultrasonic Equipment for Cleaning your Engagement Ring

Ultrasonic Jewellery Cleaners work by sending vibrations through the water and the cleaning solution. This creates powerful waves that can remove dirt and debris. Considered a simpler and more efficient method. However, this vigorous movement can cause the gemstones to loosen and fall off the ring. It is advisable to not use ultrasonic jewellery cleaners at home, in case you own one; owing to a number of factors. First, the machine in question may vary in terms of specifications and capabilities: since the market for such electric ring and jewellery cleaners containers a number of competing products, the right kind of ultrasonic cleaner that is suitable for you will be difficult to determine. This is especially important depending on the type of metal your engagement ring is made of. Whilst alloy metals like gold and silver can potentially withstand the vibrations sent that are sent to clean your ring, they may have other potentially undesirable effects on the ring. Certain metal types like silver and tungsten are more susceptible to damage or at least scratching. So if you’re thinking about how to clean your silver ring, or to clean your sterling silver ring, to say nothing of metals like tungsten, then this technology is probably not the best choice. 

When to Seek Professional Help for your Engagement Ring

It is a good idea to visit a professional jewellery cleaner once a year. Professional jewellery cleaners have expert knowledge about jewellery cleaning. They use professional products and equipment to clean your ring. When getting your ring cleaned professionally always try to get it cleaned from very the jewellery shop or online store you bought it from. As they generally have a better understanding of your piece of jewellery and the type of cleaning it needs. If you are going to a different jewellery shop talk to the jeweller who will be cleaning your engagement ring. Make sure that he/she is familiar with cleaning similar types of jewellery, and has the tools to carry them out. When a professional jeweller uses ultrasonic equipment they will test the stones to see if they are loose and will secure firmly, and they will also carry out other tests to ensure that your valuable engagement ring can withstand the effects of the process.  

How to Clean rings with Diamonds

So for we have engaged the subject of engagement ring cleaning and maintenance at a more general level. However, depending on the gemstone and metal type, there are other factors that you need to consider. When it comes to cleaning engagement rings with diamonds one must consider that the points raised in the early parts of this post remain. When it comes to diamond engagement rings, one must first consider the metal type of the ring. So one must consider this point, which we shall engage later. The advantage of having diamonds is that they are much more durable relative to other gemstones. The full 10/10 score in the Mohs scale that diamond scores is there for a reason. Diamonds are extremely hard and much harder than the second-placed sapphires on the Mohs scale (9.0), which makes them better able to withstand more rigorous methods.

The Vinegar Solution

So when it comes to the question of how to clean your diamond ring, at home a more simple way is to use vinegar. Vinegar is acidic, and its pH level can aid in removing unwanted dust and other particles, and it's affordable. However it is advisable to use this method sparingly, and make sure to not leave it submerged in a vinegar solution. So vinegar is a practical solution, whether it's cleaning white gold or rose gold engagement rings, but is a practice that should not be repeated often. As for silver or sterling, silver engagement rings the use of vinegar is best avoided, as this metal type tends to tarnish upon prolonged contact with this acid.

How to Clean Sapphire Engagement Rings

When it comes to engagement maintenance cleaning and maintenance of sapphire engagement rings, once again the same principles apply. For when it comes to engagement ring maintenance the key factor to consider is the metal type. For when it comes to gemstone, sapphires, like diamonds are extremely durable. And are able to withstand most chemical and cleaning products. However, a point must be made on ultrasonic jewellery cleaners. The effects produced by this method can affect the integrity of the corundum gemstone, especially if the sapphire stone contains a higher number of inclusions or even slight breaks, these can be worsened, and if the stone has been subject to any form of treatment, notably the infusion type of treatments, the effects of these treatments can potentially be weakened or reversed. So in answering the question: how to clean a ring with sapphires, whether it is of white gold, rose gold or yellow gold, it is best to start by consulting your jewellery. Even if do not intend to rely on your jeweller's services, it is important that you gain expert advice on the specific features and characteristics of your engagement ring. Especially if your engagement ring contains side stones, that are made of less durable stones such as opals or simulants, all of which can affect the cleaning and maintenance process.