When to Remove Your Ring
Take off your ring when going to bed to allow your skin to breath. Sleeping with your jewelry on will reduce it’s lifetime as the constant rubbing of bed sheets on metal and gems will abrade it over time.Avoid wearing your ring while swimming, because your fingers could temporarily shrink in cool temperatures, allowing it to fall off. Please don’t build sand castles with your ring on. The sand can scratch your stone and metal and the ring can easily get lost.
Chloride in pool water can eat away your gold jewelry over time; sulfur in hot springs can tarnish silver and low karat gold jewelry.
Take your ring off before participating in sports or other vigorous activity that could involve sharp blows. Rock climbing with your engagement ring on, even if you wear gloves, is not a good idea. Sharp blows can dislodge a gem in it’s setting, chip or scratch it.
Remove your ring before applying makeup, lotion, or creams to your hands to avoid excessive buildup that can dull the stones. If you wash your hands with your ring on, rinse the ring well afterwards. Hand soaps do contain lots of oils that will dull your stone, watery soap always finds it’s way into settings and will make your ring look dirty and lifeless.
Take off your engagement ring before beginning housecleaning or yard work that involves harsh chemicals or rough equipment.
Metal Wear and Scratches
Normal wear and tear happens, and you will need to maintain your piece over the years. Precious metals wear down over time especially when worn every day like wedding or engagement rings. Platinum is the most resistant to wear of all the precious metals and will need less maintenance than Palladium, Gold or Silver alloys.Please note that all metal will scratch. Softer metals like sterling silver will have deeper scratches than while gold, palladium or platinum rings. Finishes will change with wear, high polished rings will get a more satin look due to tiny scratches, while satin finishes will get a dull shine and show some shiny burnished marks where it got in contact with harder objects. Your ring will develop it’s own patina based on how you wear it. A professional jeweler can polish out light scratches from time to time. To give your polished silver, gold, palladium and platinum rings a quick polish yourself use a special jewelry polishing cloth. The cloth should be kept in the packet when not used otherwise abrasive dust could accumulate on it.
Keeping Track of Your Ring
Place your ring in the same, safe place every day to avoid accidentally misplacing it. Don’t store it in the bathroom as moisture in the air may tarnish alloys such as silver quickly.Avoid removing or placing your ring near vulnerable places, such as sinks or bathtubs, where it could easily be knocked off and lost.
Always store your engagement ring by itself in a safe place to prevent the jewelry from getting scratched or chipped by other gems.
Keep a little fabric pouch or zip lock bag in your purse for those times you have to take off your ring while being not at home. Wrap your ring in a tiny soft cloth and place in the pouch in a save small compartment of your purse where it does not get shuffled around with other objects.
Tips for Ring Storage
Protection from damage and theft should be your primary concerns when storing your engagement ring. Here are a few tips for storing your ring safely.Jewelry boxes should be lined with soft fabric, but be aware that a noticeable jewelry box is the first place a burglar will look.
A diamond engagement ring should be wrapped in soft fabric and placed in a padded jewelry bag for long-term storage.
It's best to keep seldom-worn jewelry in a safe deposit box.
Never store diamond jewelry loose with other pieces. Diamonds, being the hardest material on earth, could easily scratch or nick other pieces, while the metals on the engagement ring can be damaged by other gems.
Tarnish
Tarnish on sterling silver or silver/palladium ring can develop if they are stored not properly in an air tight zip log bag which will keep it away from air born pollutants. Tarnish develops quickly in a damp environment and is likely to go black in a sulfurous area. Hot tubs and hot springs often have surfur in it's water which will tarnish your jewelry. Keep in mind that some skin care products like Acne solutions do contain sulfur. Do not wear your ring when applying those products and wash your hands before putting your ring back on.Tarnish is just a thin layer of oxide on the metals surface. In most cases it can easily be removed with a soft jewelry polishing cloth. If you wear your rings every day, tarnish usually does not develop as the rubbing of your skin on metal and the oils of your skin will keep it bright.
Ring Cleaning Tips
Simply wearing your engagement ring while washing your hands is not an adequate way to clean it. In fact, soaps and other cleaners used on your hands can cloud and dull your ring. It should be cleaned periodically to keep it brilliant. Especially gemstone rings with light colored pale gems like white sapphires, aquamarines, topaz and many others will look dull and lifeless if not cleaned at least once a week. Diamonds and moissanites due to their unique internal optical properties and fire will look sparkly for a longer time, but still should be cleaned regularly.Do-it-Yourself Cleaning
The easiest way to clean a ring is with a solution of warm water and mild liquid dish detergent (Dawn works really well). Don't do your cleaning over very hard surfaces like granite counter top or the kitchen sink unless you put down a soft towel. Your jewelry will get slippery and the items could be damaged if they are dropped. Place a plastic Tupperware in your sink, when the ring slips out of your hands it will just fall on soft plastic and not bounce on the hard enamel or steel surface of your sink. Wet the ring with the water/soap solution and use a soft bristled brush like a baby tooth brush to loosen dirt. Gently brush the metal and the stone. Usually there is a hole on the inside of your ring under the setting that allows access to the underside of the stone for cleaning. Rinse the ring and use a soft, lint-free cloth to pat the ring dry (don't rub the stone or metal). Here a video that shows the process.
Store-bought jewelry solutions may also be used for soaking diamond rings as well as solutions of ammonia and ethyl alcohol. Read the instructions on the label carefully and check for which metals and stones the solution is save to use. Ammonia (in a mild solution with three parts water) is particularly good for brightening yellow gold, but should never be used with fracture-filled diamonds as it may cause the diamonds to become cloudy or discolored. Don't use ammonia solutions on Sterling Silver rings. Some ultrasonic cleaners can also be used on certain stones like diamonds and sapphires but are risky for some other gemstones (see table below). Emeralds, opals, pearls and amber should only be cleaned by a jeweler.
If your engagement ring contains different types of stones, be sure whichever cleaning method you choose is appropriate for all of them. Pearls, for example, are far softer and more delicate than many gems, and can easily be scratched or pitted by cleaning solutions recommended for diamonds.
Never use toothpaste to clean your jewelry. Toothpaste is very abrasive and will scratch any fine jewelry metal, and even some gems.
|
Gemstone |
Moh's Hardness |
Toughness |
Steam Cleaning |
Ultrasonic |
|
Alexandrite |
8.5 |
excellent |
usually |
usually |
|
Amber |
2 - 2.5 |
poor |
never |
never |
|
Amethyst |
7 |
good |
risky |
usually |
|
Aquamarine |
7.5 - 8 |
good |
risky |
risky |
|
Citrine |
7 |
good |
risky |
usually |
|
Diamond |
10 |
good |
usually |
usually |
|
Emerald |
7.5 - 8 |
poor |
never |
never |
|
Garnet |
6.5 - 7.5 |
fair |
never |
usually |
|
Iolite |
7 – 7.5 |
fair |
risky |
risky |
|
Jade |
6.5 - 7 |
excellent |
risky |
usually |
|
Lapis Lazuli |
5 - 6 |
good |
never |
never |
|
Moissanite |
9.5 |
good |
usually |
usually |
|
Morganite |
7.5 - 8 |
good |
risky |
risky |
|
Onyx |
6.5 - 7 |
good |
risky |
Risky |
|
Opal |
5.5 - 6.5 |
fair |
never |
never |
|
Pearl |
2.5 - 4.5 |
good |
never |
never |
|
Peridot |
6.5 - 7 |
fair |
never |
risky |
|
Rose Quartz |
7 |
good |
risky |
risky |
|
Rhodolite |
6.5 - 7.5 |
good |
never |
usually |
|
Ruby |
9 |
excellent |
usually |
usually |
|
Sapphire |
9 |
excellent |
usually |
usually |
|
Smokey Quartz |
7 |
good |
never |
usually |
|
Spinel |
8 |
good |
usually |
usually |
|
Tanzanite |
6.5 - 7 |
fair |
never |
never |
|
Topaz |
8 |
poor |
never |
never |
|
Tourmaline |
7 – 7.5 |
fair |
risky |
risky |
|
Turquoise |
5 - 6 |
fair |
never |
never |
|
Zircon |
6.5 - 7.5 |
fair |
risky |
risky |
Hardness and toughness are not directly related as the table shows. Hardness relates to scratch resistance, a materials ability to stand up to abrasion. Toughness is a measure of the ability of a mineral to absorb energy, and is a measure of how likely a material is to chip or break. Even though diamond is the hardest mineral it can chip and fracture in normal day to day wear and tear.
More gemstone info is available here.
Professional Cleaning
Rings can also be professionally cleaned if they become dirty. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are the most popular choices among jewelers. If your engagement ring has any serious flaws, such as fractures or cracks in the stone, be sure the jeweler is aware of them because certain cleaning techniques may exacerbate the flaws.Maintaining Your Ring
Clean your ring at least once a week to keep it as brilliant as the day you first put it on.Get your gemstone ring inspected at least twice a year by a qualified jeweler to guarantee the setting is secure. Have any repairs recommended by your jeweler performed right away.
Insuring Your Investment
Have the appraisal of your engagement ring updated every few years in case of loss. Insure your valuable engagement ring against theft, loss, or accidental damage. See also my warranty info for more information.If in doubt just ask me about unique care and cleaning requirements of the ring you purchased from me.
