A lot of thought goes into choosing the right engagement ring and proposing with it. But often far less thought goes into maintaining it to keep it as pristine as the day it was bought. As with any piece of fine jewellery it is imperative that you take care of your engagement ring to ensure it lasts forever.
Learning how to clean an engagement ring is part and parcel of wearing it, which is why this article will give you a step-by-step guide on how to clean your diamond ring and how often you should clean it.
Should I Clean My Diamond Engagement Ring At Home?
Most people believe that the only way to keep an engagement or wedding ring clean is by taking it to a jeweller and paying for it to be professionally cleaned. While that is definitely an option for all types of rings and jewellery, you do not need to do that more than once a year. There are lots of thing you can do at home to carry out essential upkeep and clean your ring at home.
The time to take your ring to a jeweller aside from the annual cleaning is if the ring is showing signs of damage. For example, if the claws holding the diamond in place appear to be slightly loose, or any side stones have become dislodged. In these cases it’s always best to take this to a jeweller so that this can be checked more carefully and maybe even repaired.
How Do I Clean My Engagement Ring At Home?
Check The Condition Of The Ring
The first step is checking the condition of your engagement ring. This is important as you need to make sure your cleaning does not cause any damage.
Look at the claws holding the diamonds in place and check that each has an intact tip. The stones should not be able to be moved at all. If your stone has a separate collet holding it in place, check the seams between this and the shank of the ring for any cracks or fissures.
If the ring is damaged or elements are loose then please do not try to clean your engagement ring at home.
Make A Small Ring Bath
Using something like a ramekin or small bowl is ideal for this part. Just fill a small container with warm to hot water, add a few drops of very mild soap such as washing-up liquid, and let the engagement ring soak for 20-30 minutes.
Gently Clean The Ring With An Old Toothbrush
The next stage is to gently clean the ring with a soft bristled toothbrush. That means that the brush should not have additional rubber bristles.
While cleaning, be sure to focus on areas where more dirt can accumulate, such as parts of the ring that would come into contact with lotions, hand creams, or hair conditioners, as this will be the place that has the most dirt to remove.
Make sure you aren’t too rough when cleaning your engagement or wedding ring after it has been sitting in the washing-up liquid solution, gentle strokes should be enough to remove any visible dirt.
Rinse The Ring Under Cool Water
Once you’re happy that you’ve removed as much dirt as possible with the toothbrush, give the ring a rinse under cool or lukewarm water to make sure that any remnants are flushed out with the tap water.
Dry The Ring
If you want to dry the ring to wear immediately, then it’s best to use soft cotton or muslin to dry the ring. Do not use rough paper towels or kitchen paper as you risk damaging you ring. It is best to avoid bath towels with long fibres which could get caught in your engagement ring. Another option is to allow the ring to air dry naturally, which will help to make sure you avoid any potential scuffing or scratching.
How Often Should I Clean My Engagement Ring?
There’s no hard and fast rule about how often you should clean your engagement ring. However, it’s best to aim for at least a light clean every two weeks or so, to remove the daily dirt that your ring will come into contact with. As diamonds are more resilient than other stones, you can wash your engagement ring more frequently than every two weeks, although this isn’t completely necessary to do so.
