Cleaning Underneath Diamond Ring

[cloudkicker3030]

hey everyone.. i know there's a lot of cleaning threads here.. but i've tried alot of things here and i'm still not satisfied

my fiance's diamond that I bought for her has gotten dirty.. it looks "cloudy" and it's absolutely driving me nuts. she wears it all the time as she washes her hands much more than the normal person as she works in health care.. and she put lotion on while wearing it and showered with it until i told her to not do that anymore >.
I bought her an ultrasonic cleaner + jewelry cleaner package here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002A8IDQI/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

it looked better after ultrasonic.. but still didn't look the same.

so i made her go to the jewelry store that created the setting to clean it.. she said it took about 5 minutes and looked a little bit yellow after (her words).

i had a few days with her (we're long distance temporarily) and i tried a half/half mix of Windex with Amonea + Hydrogen Peroxide soak for 5 minutes and it looks better... but it's still not right.. still looks somewhat cloudy.

i THINK it's the bottom of the ring that has some residue on it.. if i stare at it close enough i feel like i see a slight film or just doesn't look s shiny from the bottom up...and i have no clue how i can reach under there and clean it.

I'm willing to pay someone to clean it under there .. but obviously want to save money and do it myself.

i've been kinda obsessing over this and really need help. any suggestions are greatly greatly appreciated



(diamond picture and thread here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/#p3573077']https://www.pricescope.com/community/#p3573077[/URL])

brand new diamond ring picture:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/210965563768444407/

how it looks now (slightly better now):
http://imgur.com/hV3a1VI

such a huge difference between new and now.. it's driving me nuts!

 

[hearts-arrows_girl]

When mine hasn't been professionally cleaned in a while, the place where I bought it, leaves it in the hot ultrasonic for at least 20 minutes, then power steams it and hand dries any wetness. (my ring never gets too dirty, since I clean it everyday at home), so I would think that 5 minutes, for a ring that hasn't been deep cleaned ever, would not be long enough to get to the stubborn and lodged dirt underneath. Have her ask them to leave it in longer and super steam it. Couldn't hurt to try. Good luck with your cleaning!
BTW, her ring is amazingly beautiful, I viewed it in the Pinterest link you posted.

 

[ice empress]

After cleaning my ring, I also give it a quick blow-dry to remove water stains. If water stains are present, which they often are, the diamond could definitely get a cloudy lack of lustre, thus completely defeating the long and tedious process of cleaning that preceded the drying process.

Perhaps you/she could give this a try?

p.s. my jeweler also claims that there is no substitute to a good steamer. He believes it is much more effective than an ultrasonic machine, though he uses both (ultrasonic first, then steamer).

 

[chrono]

Soak in your cleaning solution overnight to loosen the stubborn grime, then use the US. Blow drying or compressed air is important to make sure there are no water spots after the diamond is cleaned.

 

[WinkHPD]

Soak in your cleaning solution overnight to loosen the stubborn grime, then use the US. Blow drying or compressed air is important to make sure there are no water spots after the diamond is cleaned.

If your ring is gold, especially 14kt gold, I recommend against letting it soak in anything containing ammonia overnight. Most of the time there is no problem, but occasionally the ammonia can react with the silver in your alloy and cause a nasty looking tarnish that will need to be professionally polished to remove.

You may wish to have the ring professionally refurbished, which will include a thorough cleaning and polishing as well as making sure that all of the stones in the ting are tight and that there is no apparent damage to the ring, stone(s) or prongs. Then if you buy her a home steaming device to go with the ultrasonic you will have the tools that she needs to keep the ring as clean as can be done at home.

With her job, you may end up needing to do a professional refurbishing once or twice a year to keep you happy with the appearance of the diamond. The films from some of the cleaning materials can build up and be very hard to remove at home.

Wink

 

[chrono]

Wink,
That is a good reminder. I had forgotten that not everyone has platinum or 22k YG settings. This caution does not apply to non-ammonia based jewellery cleaner though, correct?

 

[cloudkicker3030]

thanks everyone for the responses. i'm going to try blow drying it.. maybe that's what i've been missing...

is there any techniques to get to the bottom of the diamond though? or will a soak and steam cleaning really reach under there? (sorry i'm starting to get obsessive with this..)

when i told her to bring it to the shop, i told her to emphasize cleaning underneath as i believed that's where it was dirty the most and they still only took 5 minutes on it.........

if not will try buying a steam cleaner.. and if not again.. i will refurbish the darn thing =\

thanks again everyone

 

[cloudkicker3030]

BTW, her ring is amazingly beautiful, I viewed it in the Pinterest link you posted.

Thank you! people here at pricescope helped me pick the diamond!

 

[WinkHPD]

Wink,
That is a good reminder. I had forgotten that not everyone has platinum or 22k YG settings. This caution does not apply to non-ammonia based jewellery cleaner though, correct?

And not every one has your incredible avatar for a gem either! I always admire it every time I see one of your posts.

You are correct, if your cleaner does not have an agent like ammonia in it that causes tarnish, then it should be safe to use as a soaking agent. I loved the GemCare Products for just that reason.

Wink

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

At the risk of sounding pedantic, she doesn't put her clean ring back on her finger by placing her other finger on top of the stone? You'd be surprised how many people do that! Big ole thumbprint on top of a newly cleaned stone, cuz it is easy to push/side your ring back on that way...

cheers--Sharon

 

[cloudkicker3030]

thanks for the amonia tip too.. it indeed is 14k wg and i almost did to an overnight soak!

 

[cloudkicker3030]

HI:

At the risk of sounding pedantic, she doesn't put her clean ring back on her finger by placing her other finger on top of the stone? You'd be surprised how many people do that! Big ole thumbprint on top of a newly cleaned stone, cuz it is easy to push/side your ring back on that way...

cheers--Sharon

i'll ask her.. i do catch her touching the stone though >=\ she's very careless unfortunately >.<

 

[Ashleigh]

Get a small toothbrush to clean the pavilion but some settings make it hard to reach the pavilion.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

At the risk of sounding pedantic, she doesn't put her clean ring back on her finger by placing her other finger on top of the stone? You'd be surprised how many people do that! Big ole thumbprint on top of a newly cleaned stone, cuz it is easy to push/side your ring back on that way...

cheers--Sharon

i'll ask her.. i do catch her touching the stone though >=\ she's very careless unfortunately >.<

HI:

Not the end of the world...I have no idea if this will be a good tip but I'll pass it along anyway....I used one of those little cloths--yanno the ones provided by your sunglass or eyeglass place--to "spot" clean or dry. And they don't leave fibers behind like tissue does....

cheers--Sharon

 

[ForteKitty]

Can you get a baby toothbrush underneath and scrub it?

 

[cloudkicker3030]

thanks for the toothbrush suggestions.. it's a really tight spot in there so i kinda doubt it.. but i'll go to the market and look into it.

 

[ericad]

Get very hot water with a few drops of dish soap (I like palmolive, but I'm picky that way) and let the ring soak for 15-20 minutes. Then gently scrub the ring, including the underside of the diamond and between the prongs, with a soft toothbrush and more dish soap. Rinse and repeat. Once you're satisfied with its level of cleanliness, dry with paper towels (not cloth, which will leave behind fabric softener residue) then blast it with a blow dryer, making sure you dry the underside of the ring as well.

This always does the trick for me - I have a few friends that NEVER clean their rings. Most recently I had to remove 2 week old guacamole from the underside of my friend's OEC and, well, it was a nasty job that took several repetitions of "lather, rinse, repeat".

 

[cloudkicker3030]

Get very hot water with a few drops of dish soap (I like palmolive, but I'm picky that way) and let the ring soak for 15-20 minutes. Then gently scrub the ring, including the underside of the diamond and between the prongs, with a soft toothbrush and more dish soap. Rinse and repeat. Once you're satisfied with its level of cleanliness, dry with paper towels (not cloth, which will leave behind fabric softener residue) then blast it with a blow dryer, making sure you dry the underside of the ring as well.

This always does the trick for me - I have a few friends that NEVER clean their rings. Most recently I had to remove 2 week old guacamole from the underside of my friend's OEC and, well, it was a nasty job that took several repetitions of "lather, rinse, repeat".

ty, will try this and every suggestion in here! we have a wedding to attend to in a couple weeks and i have to make sure it looks as blingy as possible!

 

[JulieN]

very hot water and ammonia. No H2O2.

 

[VRBeauty]

My diamond rings and earrings get a soak in a jar of Connoisseur's (or a comparable jewelry cleaner) after every wearing - and a gentle cleaning with a baby toothbrush.

 

[heididdl]

I use my ultra sonic cleaner and a little tooth brush I use my loupe to make sure all threads and hidden dirt are gone.

 

[mandasand]

Don't want to thread jack, but I have an antique ring that is 18 ct wg. Can I also use on of these ultrasonic cleaners or something else? The setting is very delicate. I clean it now with a little toothbrush, soap and water. Sometimes I sprits a little windex on it. I agree the pavilion gets dirty, so I just get my little brush up there and that makes a huge difference.

 

[TC1987]

What about trying a concentrated degreaser, like this Formula 409 128-oz Degreaser, Lowes.com Item #: 52935 | Model #: 4460035300

The concentrated Formula 409 that they used to sell made burnt coffee jump right off of the glass coffee pots, and I used to give my rings a quick swish and rinse with it. It was superb at washing off oils of any kind, from any surface. I don't know whether the current formula is as good or not.

 

[texaskj]

Coffee filters are lint free and good for drying.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

She needs to really avoid getting the lotion on her rings, and she should take them off when she gets home before she does dishes or other housework. I'd soak the ring each night for a little while in hot water and a couple of drops of Dawn, and very gently use the softest baby toothbrush you can find on the underside as others have said. Don't put it on until after her shower and make-up in the morning. Keeping it clean daily will avoid this problem.

 

[cloudkicker3030]

just wanted to say thanks again to everyone replying. i wont' see her and the ring until this Friday, so will try everyone's suggestions and come back here and let you guys know what (hopefully...) works!

 

[ice empress]

I agree that it's sometimes quite tricky to get a toothbrush into the tiny spaces of the setting. I actually find the connoisseur diamond dazzle stick to be better in these cases, given that the bristles are somewhat softer, longer, and more flexible. They're especially convenient for their portability factor, and travel well in purses, cars, travel bags,...

I believe they can be purchased at Walmart (in Canada anyways), London drug store, qvc, Amazon, etc...

 

[Ally T]

I also wear my rings 24 / 7 even though not many people do. They are my treasures, but as a result I am careful with certain things, so you might want to pass on some hints to your FI. Hand washing & soap can't be avoided, so I make sure I run my ring finger under the hot water when I am done for a few uncomfortable seconds & give them a giggle. Hand lotion is a nightmare for diamonds, as its greasy & made to stay put. If I lotion with the rings on, I rub carefully around them with my right hand & when spreading lotion on my other hand, I use thumb & first 2 fingers only to moisturise, thus avoiding contact with the lotion on my rings. Sounds complicated but I quickly picked it up! I wear rubber gloves for any washing up etc.

I clean my rings whenever necessary, but ultrasonic at least once a week. I use washing up liquid & a baby toothbrush first, to scrub the setting & wiggle the bristles inside the teeny holes underneath my eternity, then rinse them. I then stick them in the ultrasonic on a 10 minute cycle. My rings sparkle constantly. And for info, prior to this routine, which I adopted about 18 months ago, my eternity ring was vile. It was SO dirty on the underside that the jeweler had to apply heat to singe the crap out at the back It basically hadn't left my finger for over a year & I had NEVER tried to clean it. The diamonds had absolutely no sparkle, some of them looked very dark & some a milky white. I learned the hard way!

 

[GreenBling]

I had a ring that's not properly polished on a teeny spot right beneath the culet which as a result trapped dirt. And because of the location the dirt would reflect on the upper girdle facets making the diamond looked dull on the rim. The jeweller identified the problem and cleaned it. The stone immediately looked bigger and brighter like a different diamond altogether. If the setting is causing this, the problem might come back even if you are able to clean it this time. So for a long term solution, you might want to also find out what's causing it.

 

[craighnt]

Well, to be genital on the stone, I just use almost boiling hot water I zapped on the micro with Dawn (the best for cutting grease) Let it sit there for about 15 minutes, then use a soft tooth brush. No offense to ultrasonic users but I feel sometimes you just got to scrub. It like trying to wash a car with power spray, it dose get most of the dirt off, looks clean but rub you had over the paint surface and you will still feel some dirt.

For tight areas, they make a very tiny brush for gums you can get at the major chain drug stores. It works great for getting into small places. I will post a link below. The total size of that brush is the size of a toothpick.

Anyway, after rinsing off all the soap I give it a quick rinse in rubbing alcohol. It dries fast, and no spots. Oh, and no paper for me, I use the free cloth you usually get with an iPhone or glasses, but don't mix with other uses, otherwise the grease from the phone will end up on the stone.

I swear by the rubbing alcohol. That thing sparkles like crazy and looks totally clean even under a loupe.

http://www.gumbrand.com/products/gu...-wide/872rn/?gclid=CObQk8jgursCFRHZQgodxDkAfg