A dirty issue - how do your fancy cuts hold up when cleaning is overdue?

[diamondhoarder]

Hi PS'ers

Like many on PS, I enjoy owning different diamond cuts. Although most fancies don't seem to have quite the light performance of an ideal cut round brilliants, they each have their charms

One thing I have noticed is that some of them seem to hold up better than others when not perfectly clean. So I find myself saving some fancy cuts for certain wearing opportunities where I am less likely to get them dirty (I'm a bit of a perfectionist and my deep cleaning regime seems to take forever ). And I find I can tolerate longer periods of wearing my round brilliants between cleans than a couple of my other fancy cut pieces. And that they are easier to bring up to scratch with a quick clean rather than the full regime. Although my elongated cushion modified brilliant seems to maintain its fire and brilliance really well between cleans.

Maybe a strong ASET correlates with good performance in the face of grime? Or maybe its to do with the size and arrangement of the facets? Or the "brilliance" of the cut? Eg do August vintage cushions show dirt more easily than well cut brilliant cushions? Or AVRs? Do Asschers hide dirt better then EC's? Or does it all depend on the proportions and cut quality?

I would love to hear from owners of non-round brilliants - what cut do you have and how well does it perform when dirty?

 

[OcnGypZ]

Mine all look like gunk when dirty. OEC, EC, RB. I venture to say they are dirty more than they are clean. Hard water, soap deposits, hand cream etc.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Mine all look like gunk when dirty. OEC, EC, RB. I venture to say they are dirty more than they are clean. Hard water, soap deposits, hand cream etc.

I live in a hard water area and that's an extra challenge. Interesting that you feel yours all struggle equally regardless of cut.

I think my EC is my worst performer when dirty. But It has a pretty good ASET and performs great when clean.

 

[elizat]

I have an oval that I feel like deadens the most when it's slightly dirty.

 

[whitewave]

Asscher are the WORST. A few specs of dirt and it’s curtains on performance. They get filthy fast.

 

[ean]

I have a rectangular radiant that i feel like needs to be cleaned quite often (ATLEAST once a week) and I don’t remember this with my round brilliant. It gets dirty pretty quick. I’d clean it everyday if I had the energy.

 

[diamondhoarder]

I have an oval that I feel like deadens the most when it's slightly dirty.

Can you post a pic of your ring? How often do you feel you need to clean it?

 

[diamondhoarder]

Asscher are the WORST. A few specs of dirt and it’s curtains on performance. They get filthy fast.

Whitewave, I have seen photos of your asscher on PS, its lovely! I have heard a few people say this about their asschers. I wonder if its true for all asschers or whether it depends on the "flavour" (small table/ large table/ large windmills etc)

 

[diamondhoarder]

I have a rectangular radiant that i feel like needs to be cleaned quite often (ATLEAST once a week) and I don’t remember this with my round brilliant. It gets dirty pretty quick. I’d clean it everyday if I had the energy.

I feel your pain on that one Would you be able to post of pic of your radiant?

 

[MamaBee]

My main engagement ring is a MRB that is always sparkling but I keep it really clean. I received my cushion last week which I had placed in a halo..It hasn’t been cleaned yet except for a top swipe with windex..It sparkles like crazy and doesn’t get dirty where it dulls the diamond. I will take it off when I’m making dinner if I’m breading something..but I was extra short on time tonight and made dinner with it on..I washed my hands..and it’s just as sparkly as ever..

 

[ean]

I feel your pain on that one Would you be able to post of pic of your radiant?

Here she is! Iphone photos so not the best, and it sooo notoriously hard to photograph. Various lighting in each pic. I’m cleaning it now as we speak.

 

[Heathcat24]

Whitewave, I have seen photos of your asscher on PS, its lovely! I have heard a few people say this about their asschers. I wonder if its true for all asschers or whether it depends on the "flavour" (small table/ large table/ large windmills etc)

My Asschers are lifeless when they're dirty, too! I'm fastidious about cleaning them. There's nothing worse than going somewhere with amazing lighting, looking down, and wishing I had taken that extra five minutes to make them look their best!

My little round pendant and earrings actually seem to "hold their clean" longer, but I may only think that because I just catch glimpses of them in the mirror.

 

[MamaBee]

Here she is! Iphone photos so not the best, and it sooo notoriously hard to photograph. Various lighting in each pic. I’m cleaning it now as we speak.

Gorgeous!

 

[elizat]

Can you post a pic of your ring? How often do you feel you need to clean it?

Sure- when I wear it, I am constantly cleaning it! And wiping the stone clean. It seems to draw grit.

 

[ean]

Gorgeous!

Thank you, Mamabean. You are always so kind! I’m inlove with your cushion halo. *swoon* Cushions have always been my favorite type of diamond.

 

[MamaBee]

Thank you, Mamabean. You are always so kind! I’m inlove with your cushion halo. *swoon* Cushions have always been my favorite type of diamond.

Thank you @ean..

 

[Gussie]

Rose cuts are the worst. They look great right after cleaning but seem to get grimy fast and really look bad when dirty.

 

[david b]

A dirty diamond will loose most of it's brilliance. The light rays are absorbed into the dirt and never reflect back. Not only that it looses the brilliance but also imperfections
become visible.
My advice: get yourself a home Ultrasonic cleaner for 100 bucks and do not wait more than 1 month between cleaning cycles, otherwise the dirt will not be removed with home US cleaner

 

[TreeScientist]

A dirty diamond will loose most of it's brilliance. The light rays are absorbed into the dirt and never reflect back. Not only that it looses the brilliance but also imperfections
become visible.
My advice: get yourself a home Ultrasonic cleaner for 100 bucks and do not wait more than 1 month between cleaning cycles, otherwise the dirt will not be removed with home US cleaner

This. Certain cuts will look worse than others when dirty (step cuts are typically worse than brilliant cuts), but EVERY diamond is going to look like crap after a month without cleaning. I swear that 9 out of 10 women I see has not cleaned their diamond more than once per year since owning it. Or maybe they think that washing their hands while wearing the diamond is enough to clean it.

You don't need to spend $100 on an Ultrasonic though. Honestly, all of the ultrasonics less than $200 are just rebranded Chinese-made cheap-o's. If you want a decent American- or German-made ultrasonic, you need to spend some serious change.

Not that the Chinese ultrasonics are "bad" per-say. They're great for occasional home use, and should last for 5 or so years under such conditions. It's just that you can buy one off of AliBaba for $20-30 shipped and it's exactly the same thing as the $50-100 branded items.

This is the one that we have. The VGT-2000. Been working flawlessly for us for over a year, and I think we paid $25-30 ($27 if I remember correctly) with shipping:
https://www.alibaba.com/product-det...a2700.7724857.normalList.1.663b1d55AiivkU&s=p

Buy cheap ultrasonic. Clean diamond once or twice a week. Be happy with your sparkly ring.

ETA: If you order an Ultrasonic from Alibaba, remember to specify what voltage and plug type you want. They have both US-plug/110V and EU-plug/220V.

 

[foxinsox]

I clean my rings with a toothbrush twice a day and always soap and rinse and dry it really thoroughly. They always sparkle unless they’re really pug-schmutzy

 

[MarionC]

Asscher are the WORST. A few specs of dirt and it’s curtains on performance. They get filthy fast.

Yes! It’s awful! The upside for me is that right after I clean mine I can’t believe how beautiful it is, like I sort of forget how amazing it is between cleanings. All the more entertaining LOL

 

[missy]

Yup, step cuts get dirty super fast compared to round cuts. No comparison. It drove nuts wearing an emerald cut ring because it got smudgy so fast affecting its performance. I love step cuts so much but they are (for me this low maintenance girl) too much of a high maintenance stone. But I so appreciate them on others.

 

[MamaBee]

Yup, step cuts get dirty super fast compared to round cuts. No comparison. It drove nuts wearing an emerald cut ring because it got smudgy so fast affecting its performance. I love step cuts so much but they are (for me this low maintenance girl) too much of a high maintenance stone. But I so appreciate them on others.

I bought an AV emerald cut unmentionable so I will see! David is making the setting now..

 

[tyty333]

I have a pear and it eats light when dirty. However, if it gets a daily quick scrub or maybe every other day scrub I find that I dont need those
deep cleanings that often.

 

[david b]

The shallower the diamond is the more quick it will become lifeless

 

[diamondhoarder]

My main engagement ring is a MRB that is always sparkling but I keep it really clean. I received my cushion last week which I had placed in a halo..It hasn’t been cleaned yet except for a top swipe with windex..It sparkles like crazy and doesn’t get dirty where it dulls the diamond. I will take it off when I’m making dinner if I’m breading something..but I was extra short on time tonight and made dinner with it on..I washed my hands..and it’s just as sparkly as ever..

Mamabean, I saw your cushion halo ring, its gorgeous. Its a very brilliant type of cushion cut - I wonder if that's why it keeps its sparkle so well.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Here's my cushion that seems to keep its sparkle even when a little dirty.....

 

[diamondhoarder]

Here she is! Iphone photos so not the best, and it sooo notoriously hard to photograph. Various lighting in each pic. I’m cleaning it now as we speak.

That's beautiful!!!!

 

[FlashyFlamingo]

Rose cuts are the worst. They look great right after cleaning but seem to get grimy fast and really look bad when dirty.

I second this! I have a beautiful old rose cut that I almost never wear because it looks dirty after a few hours. Fingerprints and grime seem to really cling to rose cuts.

 

[diamondhoarder]

Sure- when I wear it, I am constantly cleaning it! And wiping the stone clean. It seems to draw grit.

Love that gorgeous coloured diamond! I wonder if ovals are more prone to showing dirt because of smaller depth than some other stones?