how do I care for my new garnet?!

[kcoursolle]

I am going to set red beauty (Malaya or whatever she is) into a ring and I am not sure how soft the stone is and in general how I should care for it. Here are a few of my questions, and if there are other things I should know please tell me. In general, I am not used to caring for colored stones and I don''t know the differences in care they require compared to diamonds.

Firstly, can I safely wear this in a split prong setting with fairly frequent use (3-5 days a week), or should I put it in a bezel, or even a pendant to keep it safe? I originally envisioned split prongs, but I like the look of bezels as well. I would hate to chip it, but I know it happens sometimes.

Secondly, can I wear a garnet in heat changes in climates like MN from inside temperatures to freezing temperatures outside or vice versa? How about steam cleaning, is that safe?

Also, should I worry about fading from the sun if I’m outside for a few hours? Is ammonia based cleaner and a soft tooth brush safe for cleaning? That’s how I usually clean my diamond ring. Finally, is there any particular care I should tell the jeweler such as “no heat” or no corundum based polishing when he sets my ring?

Thanks for the education; I want to take good care of my new red beauty. I’ll be sure to show pictures when it’s done.

 

[kcoursolle]

anyone? Is there a colored stone tutorial or anything I can look at?

 

[portoar]

Look under garnet at the www.palagems.com website and they give care instructions

 

[belle]

http://awesomegems.com/gemfacts.html#garnet

we need pics!

 

[kcoursolle]

Thanks for the help, pictures will be soon. So no steamers and be careful in MN weather, good to know.

 

[ilovesparkles]

Why did I think you were in CA????? I''m a MN gal too, hmmm maybe I should be paying attention here for my new zircon!

 

[kcoursolle]

I do live in Cali, but my folks live in MN

 

[PrecisionGem]

The garnet is a pretty durable stone, you shouldnt have any problems going inside to cold outside. One of the worst things that can happen to a stone is getting dopped before cutting. The dop is heated pretty hot and the stone held on with hot wax. During the dopping process the stone gets too hot to touch for man the a second or 2. I have yet to see a garnet crack from this. Certain tourmalines will, fire opal, apatite and a few others. Zircons have never caused a problem either.
One thing with your zircon... don''t take it into a suntan booth. I have seen them turn brown from this exposure. I clean all the stones with rubbing alchol and a cotton swab. You can get a jewelry cleaner from Walmart or Kmart really cheap. It''s just small jar with some red cleaner liquid and a small brush. Works well and is safe for anything. I wouldn''t let your jeweler blast any of the gemstones with steam. Watch out they tend to do this a lot especially if they are used to just working with diamonds.

 

[ilovesparkles]

Thanks for the tips Gene! So much easier to understand than the stuff from the gem sites hehehe!