Your engagement ring is a heartfelt vocalization of your love. It encompasses all those precious moments that you and your partner have spent together, from the time you first laid your eyes on him to forever. Seeing this most prized jewel of yours tarnish over time isn’t a feeling that you want to experience. By periodically cleaning your engagement ring you can avoid such an unpleasant experience.
This isn’t just a one-time case but a task that you should practice regularly. If you have no clue how to clean your engagement ring, this is the article that you shouldn’t skip. I’ll enlighten you about cleaning your engagement ring at home. So, let’s start.
What You Need For Cleaning Your Engagement Ring
A solution of warm water & detergent, a soft toothbrush, a shaved matchstick or toothpick and a soft cloth are the things that you need for cleaning your engagement ring at home. There are certain things that you need to bear in mind before you start cleaning your engagement ring. The soft cloth that you’ll be using for cleaning should be completely lint-free. You can also use chamois in place of the soft cloth. Get yourself a toothbrush that has soft bristles. Nowadays, you can get toothbrushes with bristles labeled soft, extra soft, etc.
Ensure that you’re only getting a toothbrush labeled either soft or extra soft. That’s because its soft bristles will work wonders in cleaning your engagement ring. Toothbrushes having medium or hard bristles aren’t good for cleaning gemstones because such toothbrushes might potentially scratch or damage them or the jewelry setting. Moreover, you should reserve your purchased toothbrush exclusively for cleaning your engagement ring or other jewelry.
How You Should Clean Your Engagement Ring
There are certain steps that you need to follow when cleaning your engagement ring. Here they are:
Step 1: First of all, you need to keep your engagement ring in the solution of warm water and mild detergent for a few minutes. The solution works as a de-greasing agent. The temperature of solution together with the detergent loosens the grime that the stone has collected over time. It might surprise you that the gentle touch of your hand reduces the sparkle of your jewel over time. In fact, the main culprit is the residue from outdoor or kitchen work making its way from your fingertips to your lovely ornament.
When you touch your engagement ring’s centerstone with your finger, you unintentionally end up leaving a compact layer of oil and moisture on the centerstone. All this oil and moisture can be removed from the centerstone after having it dipped in a solution of warm water and mild detergent.
Step 2: Once you’ve let your engagement ring soak in the solution for a few minutes, take it out and gently scrub the jewel using the soft toothbrush. Try to remove all the dirt that’s accumulated on your most prized possession with the toothbrush. Don’t rush. Clean the dirt from your engagement ring as gently as possible.
Step 3: For picking out dust particles from the ring setting, you can use a shaved matchstick or toothpick. Because of the trimmed shape of the matchstick or toothpick, it’ll pick all the dust within the ring setting. The shaved matchstick or toothpick will also fly in cleaning the back of the ring. But don’t be harsh. Remember, patience pays off.
Step 4: It’s time to dip your engagement ring into the solution one last time and scrub with a soft toothbrush. Then, rinse your engagement ring in warm running water. Don’t forget to go gentle on your ring. Also, the warm running water you’re rinsing your engagement ring in should be of the same temperature as the solution of warm water and detergent. Any major changes in the temperature might result in damaging your engagement ring. Therefore, you should be mindful of that.
Step 5: Gently shake your engagement ring and dry it with a soft cloth or chamois. This is one of the most important parts of cleaning your engagement ring. You need to gently polish your engagement ring to remove excess liquid. Removing the liquid stains is of the essence, otherwise these might affect the sparkle of the centerstone of your engagement ring.
Things To Avoid When Cleaning Your Engagement Ring
Chlorine bleach, toothpaste or household cleaners are a big no when it comes to cleaning your engagement ring. That’s because chlorine bleach or abrasives can scratch and damage your engagement ring like nothing else does. You should avoid using ultrasonic cleaners to clean your engagement ring. Ultrasonic cleaners loosen the gemstones from their mountings. These cleaners also chip the girdles of diamonds. So, if somebody asks you how to clean a diamond ring, you should tell them to not use ultrasonic cleaners.
Tips To Maintain The Beauty Of Your Engagement Ring
There are certain things that you can do to preserve your engagement ring. Here is what you can do.
- Take off your engagement ring before applying any perfume or cologne on yourself. The chemicals in perfumes or colognes might reduce the brilliance of the centerstone of your engagement ring. Also, don’t apply perfume on areas that might come in contact with your engagement ring.
- Don’t wear your engagement ring to the gym, when going swimming or doing the dishes.
How Often You Should Be Doing It
It’s good to clean your engagement ring once a week. This will remove the dust and grime that has accumulated on your engagement ring throughout the week. It’s also good to have your engagement ring cleaned from a reputed jeweler once a year to restore its brilliance. A reputed jeweler will use professional-grade equipment and products to clean your engagement ring.
You can also take help of a professional who will clean your engagement ring for a nominal fee. Since almost all reputed jeweler offer this service, you can visit once in 5-6 months if your ring becomes dirty. In such a case, cleaning your engagement ring once a week becomes imperative.
Conclusion
Caring for your engagement ring is something that should come from within because it’s a visual representation of your love. You can preserve your engagement ring by incorporating all the points mentioned in this article. If you still have any doubts regarding any of the points, write to us in the comments section.
