How to clean your engagement ring

Many of you ask us about how to care for your jewelry and especially your engagement ring. It was about time we gave you our simple tips to make sure that your ring always stays in perfect condition. Yes, a ring or any other jewelry piece needs to be cleaned cared for!

In order to protect it and preserve it longer, we recommend you avoid wearing it while sleeping or working out, while doing the dishes, housework or DIY projects, or while you’re at the beach. We don’t mean to annoy you, but gold and gemstones don’t do well with shocks, and they may scratch or chip easily.

I.- To clean your engagement ring, opt for gentle and regular maintenance

Gold scratches, gemstones scratch too and they also tarnish!

Let's face it, a gemstone’s worst enemy is grease! The fat in your moisturizers and beauty products, of course! Creams do not mix well with jewelry and rings, and that is especially the case for natural diamonds as well as any other gemstone.

Here is our little trick to clean your engagement ring quickly, potentially daily but at least once a week:

Be careful – before cleaning your ring, you need to pay attention to the materials and especially the gemstone.

For almost all stones, except opal, you can use our gentle technique which consists in using a soft-bristled toothbrush and liquid soap:

- Block the sink drain to avoid losing the stone and place a piece of cloth at the bottom of the sink to avoid breaking the stone if the ring falls from your hands, or use a bowl filled with hot water.

- Pour some liquid soap on the toothbrush and scrub the stone very gently, on the top and especially underneath, where residue, dirt and grease build up!

- Rinse with water and let air dry, or gently rub with a chamois cloth.

This quick and effective method will bring shine back to your ring. However, it is always best to have your ring checked by a professional regularly – just as you would your car – especially if you wear it daily.

II - To clean your engagement ring, opt for a professional clean every two to five years

Yes, don’t forget that gold can scratch – and even fade if it is rhodium-plated – and the prongs can wear out, therefore a check-up of your engagement ring by a professional every two to five years is necessary.

A professional will be able to make a diagnosis, check the prongs or the stone setting – so that you do not lose it or them – repolish or redo the rhodium plating of the ring and give it a deep clean in an ultrasound bath, if the ring or jewelry piece allows it.

Not all gemstones can withstand it and if the setting work is old, the prongs may break. In my opinion, it is a blessing in disguise as it will allow you to change them and thus avoid losing your stone(s) in the street or elsewhere!

But be careful, some stones such as opal, emerald or tanzanite do not react well to the ultrasound bath – they can get damaged or even break. Same goes for stones with misplaced inclusions. Ask your jeweler to check this beforehand, it is his job.

In any case, if you notice that a stone is moving, have the setting checked as soon as possible.

Finally, as you may know, stones have different levels of hardness and can scratch one other. When you store them, put them in individual cases or compartments so that they do not touch each other and scratch. Diamonds will tend to scratch other stones as they are a 10 on the Mohs hardness scale.

We hope that these tips will help you protect and preserve your engagement ring, and all your gold jewelry. Do not hesitate to contact us if you are looking for a trustworthy professional.