Today we will tell you how to clean gold and diamonds at home. The beauty of jewelry fades with time. The metal loses its brightness. Plaque builds up on the stones. This makes them unsightly, and decreases their quality. To avoid losing the spectacular look, it is necessary to treat rings and earrings regularly and restore their luster. Find out how to care for your diamond jewellery, and what you should never do with it.
The importance of care: where does the dirt come from and what does it affect?
Cleaning gold jewelry, with or without stones, is a task for every owner. The fact is that jewelry is constantly in contact with the environment and reacts. Human skin, grease particles, dust, air and more cause dirt to stick to the stones.
If you don’t clean your diamonds in time, they will darken. The longer you put off treatment, the harder it is to get rid of the plaque. In addition to the fact that the dirt does not decorate the jewelry, the resulting layer is dangerous to the health of the owner.
Plaque on diamond rings, chains and bracelets can get into an accidental wound and cause inflammation. Dirt on earrings is even more dangerous, as it is easier to penetrate the body and cause infection. To prevent this from happening, treat your jewelry regularly. To do this, you can go to a jeweler. But, there are effective methods of home cleaning, which we will tell you about next.
Saving time while maintaining quality
You can have your diamond ring cleaned by a jeweler or at home. It is up to you to choose which option you prefer. Your jeweler always has the right solutions and tools. He is very familiar with his methods. But, his services cost money. You will have to indefinitely part with your favorite jewelry. Besides, find time to give them to the master and take them away from the laboratory.
As for home cleaning, the advantages as well as disadvantages lie on the surface. On the plus side, it saves you money and time. You will quickly perform the treatment and will not be left without the usual details of the image. But, the quality will be lower than that of a jeweler. If you choose the wrong cleanser, you can even damage the piece. To avoid the risks, you can treat your diamonds yourself, but use specialized products.
They can be purchased at any jewelry store. As a rule, they are universal, and can be used with all precious metals and stones. To clean jewelry with diamonds, place them in the solution purchased for eight hours. Read the instructions before using, as the time may vary, depending on the manufacturer.
Precautions
Now, let’s talk about how to take care of diamonds to prolong their “life”. Since cutting makes the stones brittle, you should wear them with caution. Do not use them as an everyday piece of jewelry.
It is advisable to visit a jeweler at least twice a year. A specialist will treat diamonds and precious metal with ultrasound. This removes minute particles of fat, dirt, and germs. He or she will check that the stone is securely fastened in the jewelry and will repair any damage that may have occurred.
At home, it is advisable to clean your jewelry every 2-3 months. Do not leave diamond jewelry in the bathroom. Dampness is not the best environment. Always keep your diamonds separate from your other jewelry. Place each ring or earring in its own pouch so that the stones do not scratch each other or the metal.
Preparation
To remove plaque from gold, careful preparation is necessary. Always remember that your hands remain greasy, so wear gloves when handling stones and the setting.
A piece of lint-free dry cloth (e.g. velvet) is indispensable for cleaning your diamonds. Prepare a soft cloth for finishing as well, and a container. Buy a special brush for cleaning gemstones. If you use a toothbrush, you may scratch the diamond.
When preparing a solution for cleaning gold and diamond rings, do not use regular, laundry soap or shampoo. They contain a lot of alkali and will damage the jewelry. You will find a way out by buying:
- baby soap;
- dermatological soap (available at the drugstore);
- handmade soaps;
- liquid soaps;
- cream soaps.
Do not grab the first product you see on the shelves. Read the ingredients before you buy to make sure you make the right choice.
Alcohol and gasoline are your helpers in caring for your jewelry
Now let us tell you how to clean your diamonds at home using gasoline and alcohol. Along with vodka and ammonia, they are excellent at removing dirt and grease from precious metals and stones.
To make your gold ring or other diamond jewelry shine again, take a soft cloth and soak it in gasoline, vodka, alcohol, or ammonia. Wipe the setting, but don’t apply too much pressure. Take a cotton swab or special brush and dip it into the cleaning solution. Clean the stone, being careful not to loosen the mounts.
After you’ve finished working with the alcohol, rinse the gemstone in a soapy solution and dry it with a clean cloth soaked in warm water. Dry the cut and rub the diamond with a velvet flap, which will restore its former shine.
Liquid soap and toothpaste to fight plaque
Remember, diamond jewelry should be cleaned in such a way as not to damage the stone. An effective way is to prepare a special solution. Take a glass of warm water and pour into it a teaspoon of liquid soap. Stir the ingredients until the container is filled with bubbles.
Place the diamond jewelry in the airy foam and leave it for five minutes. Then, remove the jewelry and treat the stone with a cleaning brush. If the diamond does not return to its brilliance, repeat the procedure. Once you have achieved the desired effect, rinse the jewelry with warm water and dry it.
Toothpaste is a wonderful way to help clean diamond jewelry. It is suitable for both treating gold and for removing plaque from a diamond. The main thing is not to choose those brands that add hard particles to the paste, as they can scratch the crystal.
Jewel tubs
If the cut diamond is well set in your jewelry and you’re not afraid of it falling out, it’s effective to use plaque-removal baths. Mix 10% ammonia (available at the drugstore) with water, in a 1:1 ratio. Immerse your diamond ring or earrings in the container for 15 to 20 minutes.
To create an enhanced cleaning solution, you can mix 7-9 drops of ammonia with a glass of water. Immerse the diamond jewelry in the resulting solution. The dwell time is 3-4 hours. If the plaque is not very visible, it is enough to rub the object with ammonia.
In particularly severe cases, harsh measures are required. Take 200 ml of water and add to it a teaspoon of hyposulfite. Immerse the jewelry in the solution and wait for 20-25 minutes. After taking it out, clean it with a soft brush and rinse in a soapy solution. It remains to wipe the cut and rub the diamond with a velvet cloth. You can moisten the flap a bit in ammonia, which will give the stone an extra shine.
How to brush white gold and diamonds
To clean white gold with diamonds at home and not damage it, you need to know the basic rules. Remember that rings, earrings, bracelets and chains made of this precious metal must be treated with particular care. If you have diamonds set into your jewelry, it is even more difficult to care for.
White gold is more prone to oxidation than other types of gold. To protect it, the alloy is coated with a layer of rhodium. But over time, it wears off, and your main task is to make sure that this happens as late as possible. Therefore, mechanical action on such a cut, as well as on the diamonds themselves, is forbidden.
To clean diamond gold earrings made of white metal, dissolve 3-4 teaspoons of sugar in 200-300 ml of water. Dip the jewelry in the composition for 12 to 15 hours. Rinse off the sugar with running water, and wipe the jewelry with a soft cloth. Rub the diamond with velvet.
For a faster clean, mix a glass of water, a teaspoon of ammonia and a bit of shampoo. Soak the jewelry in the solution for about 30 minutes. Do not overdo it, as the ingredients will react, damaging the fragile metal and the precious diamond.
How not to spoil your jewelry: secrets and tips
Diamond earrings or other jewelry, should be cleaned with great care. All recipes that contain baking soda can only be used to clean diamond. It is harmful to gold because it removes luster and is more suitable for silver. Do not use iodine to remove plaque; it can stain both the stone and the setting.
Never use bleach to clean gold and diamonds, as it can make them look dull. Manganese, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar in their pure form do not remove deposits at all, but merely oxidize the surface. They also darken the diamond. Household detergents contain a lot of alkali, which is a harmful component for jewelry.
Some chemicals can break down the stone. Do not use untested methods to clean diamond jewelry. Never use a hair dryer to dry your jewelry as high temperatures will damage both the metal and the stone.