Everyone dreams of spotting a collection of inexpensive loose diamonds that strikes their imaginations, and finding one or two out of this that they can buy without breaking the bank. When purchasing any stone, one would normally look at its characteristics, including the 4 C’s. However, when that is over, they are saddled with the need to care for a new possession unlike most other things they own.
After you take the plunge and buy that wonderful colored diamond you had your mind set on, you will have something that will last ‘forever’. That said, many things could cause its appearance to devolve over time, robbing it of the luster and shine that drew you in the first place. What good is a color diamond without beautiful color? So to prevent that happening, you need to carry out some careful and thorough cleaning every once in a while. If you want to do that at home, below is a look at what to get and what to do.
Materials Required
You would be wiping the diamond clean using a jewelry cloth, so get one of those, preferably made of flannel. Then you need a jewelry brush, which lets you scrub off debris; you can get a soft-bristled toothbrush for that. Lastly, you will need cleaning solution to loosen up any persistent dirt; this should not have harsh chemicals in it, so get some good window cleaning solution or dishwashing liquid.
The Cleaning Process
If you have already set the stone on a band, make sure it is not loose. If it is, get that fixed before you start cleaning it. After making sure that all the stones on the ring are secure, take out any dust or hair, turn on the tap, and hold the ring under it for a while.
Subsequent steps should be performed differently for large loose diamonds and mounted ones. The former would need warm water with one part in four of ammonia, or a window cleaning solution, if that is all you have. Soak for 5 minutes and then start scrubbing with the brush; repeat this twice more. After that, dry the stone with the flannel cloth.
In the case of mounted stones, you would need hot water mixed with detergent free soap. Soak, scrub, repeat, and dry the same way as for loose stones; subsequently, you should also check to make sure you did not loosen the setting while cleaning.