One more question - this time about cleaning an 18K white gold setting with diamonds...

[bsar2008]

This is the first time ever I will have a very nice diamond, and 18K gold. I''m nervous about ruining the rhodium plating though.

What I''ve used before, when I had 14K yellow gold was dish detergent and a sonicare style toothbrush (it doesn''t spin, it just vibrates), or a nail brush, to brush the stones.

I also have used TarnX cleaner on yellow gold settings - that works REALLY well but I don''t know what it would do to rhodium plating on an 18K white gold ring, if anything. I also have the Helzberg jewelry cleaner.

I just don''t know which one is best to use every day (I''m one of those people who likes to clean my rings every day, sometimes more!)

Any advice?

 

[Todd Gray]

Since rhodium plating is essentially a coating, it is subject to being damaged / scratched by abrasives and harsh chemicals, also oxidation. The milder alternative in the form of an over the counter commercial jewelry cleaner would be my preferred method.

Regarding the sonic toothbrush, I get it... But you just made my stomach flip with the possibilities in terms of loose stones...

A jeweler friend and I were discussing the consumer use of ultra sonic cleaners over the counter of his jewelry store the other day... The important part of the conversation with regards to this thread was the part where we were discussing how diamonds are harder than gold and platinum and how when vibrated, the girdle edge of the diamonds often cut larger seats for themselves within the settings and resulted in loose stones and clients who just couldn''t figure out why the stones kept falling out of their rings...

The best jewelry cleaner that consumers can use on a regular basis are the simple ones... A little solution, a soft bristle toothbrush, warm water to rinse it off. Despite what most consumers think, those of us in the trade don''t actually use the sonic portion of our cleaning units all that much. Please exercise caution when doing so and ditch the toothbrush, it''s for "teeth"

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 2/2/2010 3:06:46 PM
Author: Todd Gray
Please exercise caution when doing so and ditch the toothbrush, it''s for ''teeth''

On that note, here''s a little local humor from Southern Oregon...

Do you know how you can tell that the toothbrush was invented in Southern Oregon?

Because if it was invented anywhere else, it would be called a "teeth brush"

 

[bsar2008]

LOL! Okay, well thank you! Is there any trick to using the gentler cleaner with stones that don''t have much open space? Beneath the channel set sidestones there are holes in the band but they aren''t very big...and the main stones themselves seem to have a cage of some kind underneath them - it''s hard to explain (i''ll have pics by Thursday at the latest - it''s being sized right now)

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 2/2/2010 3:14:10 PM
Author: bsar2008
LOL! Okay, well thank you! Is there any trick to using the gentler cleaner with stones that don''t have much open space? Beneath the channel set sidestones there are holes in the band but they aren''t very big...and the main stones themselves seem to have a cage of some kind underneath them - it''s hard to explain (i''ll have pics by Thursday at the latest - it''s being sized right now)

Ultra sonic cleaning vibrates the solution so that it gets into the tighter sections of a jewelry item and vibrates the dirt and gunk out - it''s a fast cheat for the jewelry industry. A more patient approach is to let the item soak for a little while in a warm solution, not tepid, not real hot, just bath temperature. So a little time spent "in a bath" followed by gentle swishing of the item in the solution will go a long way to duplicate the quicker, more hazardous, option offered by a sonic cleaner.