Jewelry Care

A diamond is the hardest natural material on earth, but the metal holding it and the setting protecting it are not. With a little routine care, your piece will look the way it did the day it arrived for decades.

Everyday habits

Put your jewelry on last and take it off first. Perfume, hairspray, lotion, and sunscreen leave a film on a diamond that dulls its brilliance faster than anything else.

Take pieces off before swimming, cleaning, gardening, or lifting weights. Chlorine and household cleaners can pit and weaken gold and platinum alloys over time, and a sharp knock is what loosens a stone.

Handle your jewelry by the band or the edges rather than the stone. The oil from your fingertips is exactly what makes a diamond look cloudy.

Cleaning at home

Most pieces only need a warm soak. Mix a few drops of mild dish soap into a bowl of warm water, let the piece sit for 20 to 30 minutes, then gently work around the setting with a soft toothbrush, paying attention to the underside of the stone where buildup collects. Rinse in clean warm water and dry with a lint-free cloth.

Do this every couple of weeks for rings worn daily, and less often for pieces worn occasionally.

Avoid harsh chemicals entirely. Bleach, ammonia, acetone, and abrasive toothpaste can damage metals and any treated or softer gemstones.

Ultrasonic cleaners are safe for most solitaire diamonds in sound settings, but they can shake loose a stone that is already slightly insecure, and they can damage many colored gemstones. If you are unsure, soak by hand or ask us first.

Storage

Store pieces separately in a soft pouch or a lined box with compartments. Diamonds scratch other diamonds and will happily scratch gold, so a jumbled jewelry box does real damage.

Keep pieces out of direct sunlight and away from heat, and store silver with an anti-tarnish strip in a closed container.

Professional maintenance

Have rings you wear daily inspected once a year. A jeweler checks that prongs are tight, the setting has not thinned, and the stone has no chips at the girdle. Catching a worn prong costs a few dollars, while losing a stone costs considerably more.

Ask for a professional cleaning and polish at the same visit. Pieces worn less frequently can go every two years.

Metal-specific notes

Platinum develops a soft matte finish called a patina with wear. Some people prefer it. If you want the original shine, a jeweler can polish it back.

White gold is plated with rhodium, which wears away gradually and lets a warmer tone show through. Re-plating every one to two years restores the bright white.

Yellow and rose gold need little beyond regular cleaning, though higher-karat gold is softer and marks more easily.

Questions

If something does not look right, or your piece needs repair or resizing, email us at dmdiamondtrade@gmail.com before taking it anywhere else. We would rather look at it first.