Cleaning your Diamond and Gold Jewellery

Diamonds will develop a film build up of oils from lotions, powders, soaps, and natural skin oils which take away from their brilliance and sparkle.  Chemicals in the air can slightly oxidize the mountings of precious jewellery depending on the karat grade used.

Diamonds should be cleaned so that the maximum amount of light can then enter and return in a fiery brilliance.  A little effort on your part will keep your jewellery looking new like the day you first wore it.

Four Ways to Clean your Diamond and Gold Jewellery

Detergent Bath
Use any mild liquid detergent found in your home (such as dishwashing soap) and prepare a small bowl of warm suds.  Brush the pieces with an eyebrow brush or toothbrush while they are in the bath.  Then transfer them to a wire tea strainer and rinse under warm running water.  Then pat dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

Cold Water Soak
Make a solution out of 50% cold water and 50% household ammonia in a cup.  Soak the pieces for 30 minutes.  Lift out and tap gently around the back and front of the mounting with an eyebrow brush or toothbrush.  Swish in the solution once more and let the jewellery drain on tissue paper.  Rinse them well with warm water and dry.

Quick-Dip Method
Buy a brand-name liquid jewellery cleaners found in many stores.  Cleaning instructions vary depending on the kit, so read the label and follow its instructions.  Be careful selecting the cleaner, some cleaners are abrasive and will clean well but damage jewellery.

Do not touch your clean diamonds with your fingers but hold them by the edges.  We at JK Schmidt Jewellers use and recommend 'Hagerty' brand jewellery, gold, silver and pearl silver cleaner; they are the industry standard and non-abrasive.

Ultrasonic Cleaner
This is a small machine that will clean any piece of jewellery that can be dipped in a liquid in a matter of minutes.  There are many varieties of ultrasonic cleaners, but they all consist of a metal cup that you fill with water and detergent. 

When the machine is turned on, a high-frequency motion creates the cleaning action.  Since each machine is slightly different, read the instructions very carefully before use.  Home ultrasonic cleaners are available for purchase at JK Schmidt Jewellers.

Storing Your Diamonds

When you are not wearing diamonds and precious jewellery, they still require proper storage.

Keep your precious pieces in a fabric-lined jewel case, or a box with compartments or dividers.  If you cannot separate your jewellery in your jewellery box, wrap each piece individually in tissue paper or place in small plastic pouches.

Don't jumble your diamond pieces in a drawer or jewellery case, because diamonds can scratch your other pieces of jewellery, or even scratch and damage each other.  We can't emphasize this enough - if a diamond impacts another diamond or gemstone it can do very serious damage. Store your jewellery pieces separately!

Traveling With Your Diamond Jewellery

The packing of your diamonds and other precious pieces for travel should be given care.
There are many types of jewellery traveling carryalls on the market. They come in all sizes, shapes and patterns and most have velvet linings inside to attach pins and earrings, and compartments to place your bracelets and necklaces.

To keep your jewellery looking it's best when you arrive; pack a small plastic bottle of prepared jewellery cleaner.

If traveling internationally consider taking along copies of bills of sale and/or appraisals of the jewellery traveling with you to prevent any customs situations.

Watches Containing Diamonds

A wristwatch containing diamonds should never be "dipped" in any liquid.  The best method for cleaning diamond watches is to use a jeweller's polishing cloth to clean all metal surfaces of the watch and bracelet.

Clean gently on the diamonds, rough abrasive polishing can loosen them in their settings. Moisture is the enemy of any wristwatch - don't get it wet.  Best bring it to a jeweller to have the movement removed and the case and bracelet professionally cleaned.

Caring for Your Diamond Ring

Even though you wear your diamond engagement ring 24 hours a day, you should still be concerned about it's care from time to time.

Don't wear it when you are doing rough work.  A diamond is the hardest substance on earth, however if hit at the perfect cleavage angle with force, it will chip or crack.

Don't ever let your jewellery come in contact with chlorine bleach when you are doing household chores and keep it out of the hot tub and chlorinated pools.

See your jeweller, at least once a year (we recommend every 6 months) and have your jewellery cleaned and checked to ensure all gems, prongs, clasps and settings are tight and secure.

At JK Schmidt Jewellers you'll get a professional "shine-up" too and there is never a charge for this service.  Take care of your diamond jewellery and you and your family will enjoy them for generations to come!

Cleaning Gold Jewellery

Gold will develop a film build up of oils from lotions, powders, soaps, and natural skin oils, which takes away from its beauty.  Chemicals in the air can slightly oxidize the gold depending on the karat grade used.

Don't let your gold jewellery come in contact with chlorine bleach when you are doing household chores because it can damage jewellery over time.  Also keep jewellery out of chlorinated pools.

A little time and effort on your part will keep your jewellery looking new like the day you first wore it.  The four ways to clean diamonds listed above also should be used to clean your gold jewellery.

Care of Coloured Gems

Gems are among the most durable of nature’s creations.  With a little care, they will be as beautiful for generations to come as they are today.

To keep your gems sparkling, clean them when dust and fingerprints have dimmed their brilliance.  The best way to clean your gemstone jewellery is in a bowl of water with a few drops of ordinary dish detergent.  Using an old toothbrush or other soft brush, scrub gently behind the stone where dust and soap can collect.  Then just rinse and pat try with a soft cloth.

A home ultrasonic cleaner should be used with extreme caution.  It can be used to clean ruby, sapphire, diamond, iolite, amethyst, citrine, garnets, iolite, chrysoberyl, and unadorned gold jewellery but it may damage gems like emerald, pink tourmaline, peridot, pearls, coral, lapis lazuli, malachite, turquoise, and any gem that has many inclusions.  When in doubt, best not to use it.

Organic gems like pearls, amber, and coral require special care because they are porous.  Make sure you don’t expose them to the chemicals in hair products, fragrances and cosmetics.  Store them in a cloth-lined box or pouch and keep them away from other jewellery, which might scratch them.  To clean them, simply wipe clean with a soft cloth.  Strands of pearls should be restrung if the cord frays or stretches so that individual pearls move.

To keep your gemstone rings looking brilliant, remove them before vigorous exercise or working with your hands.  Some gem varieties might be damaged with a sharp blow.  When removing your rings, don’t pull them off by the gemstone: this won’t damage the gem but it can, over time, stretch the metal that holds it in place, making the setting less secure.

To protect the beauty of your gems and jewellery, make sure you store each piece separately. Gems may scratch each other or the metal in your jewellery.  Avoid creating a tangle of jewellery by wrapping each piece individually or keeping it in its own compartment.  Especially when you travel, make sure your jewellery pieces don’t jostle each other in one bag.

If you have jewellery, perhaps passed down to you, that has seen better days or doesn’t suit your style, consider resetting the gems into a modern piece.  Gems should be worn and enjoyed, not kept locked away in a safety deposit box.