Yes, I’m talking about that diamond engagement ring that you never take off. Your thinking that rinsing it off in the shower is enough is misguided. Tell me, when you finish using that frying pan, do you simply rinse it off and call it clean? No, because that would be gross. The same goes for your jewelry, especially your diamond jewelry. What you may not know about diamonds is that they literally attract grease - and when I say literally, I mean Literally. From your natural body oils and dead skin cells, to the various creams, lotions, and perfumes; to the baby food your child just spit up on you and the delicious family dinner you made last month….it’s all there, locked away in the recesses of your diamond engagement ring, the eternity band, or even those diamond studs that never leave your ear lobes. Yes indeed, it is gross.
Compared to diamonds, other gemstones like sapphire, garnet, aquamarine etc. etc. will not attract as much grease, though they still have the ability to be gross. You should want your jewelry to look as beautiful as the day you received it. Jewelry should be respected, and not merely for the investment that was made in its purchase, but because fine jewelry is a work of art. You wouldn’t buy a nice painting and put it in a cigar lounge, I mean, unless you were a moron. That painting needs to be cared for so that it looks it’s best year after year. For a piece of fine jewelry - the designer who made that ring, worked really hard on it, spent hours and hours laboring over the design, the fabrication, the polishing, the stone setting - so the very least you can do to extend the beauty of that art work is to keep it clean.
Okay, but how do you clean your jewelry? Well, first things first. You Don’t Need to Wear It All The Time!!! This will greatly reduce the frequency that you need to clean your jewelry. If you’re in the kitchen making a wonderful dinner for your family - take that ring off and put it in a safe place (Not Above The Sink). When you are putting on creams, lotions, and perfume…take that jewelry off, and wait for your hands to dry.
I recommend cleaning your jewelry at least once per month, and every 6 months, I would recommend taking your jewelry to your jeweler for a professional cleaning and inspection. The inspection is to make sure that all of the stones are secure in their settings. For at home cleaning, the safest manner in which to clean your jewelry is with a soft toothbrush and warm soapy water. Care must be taken. This is not scrubbing a frying pan, this is more like preventative dental care with the TLC associated with giving your baby a bath. Be Nice To Your Jewelry.
If you want something closer to a professional cleaning in the comfort of your own home than there are various machines and cleaning solutions designed for your in-home jewelry cleaning. If you have the space for it, you and your fine jewelry may enjoy having an Ultrasonic to loosen the dirt and grease, and the hot dry steam of a Steam Cleaner to further remove the grossness. If you don’t have the space, there are options that fit in your purse or glovebox that will help keep your jewelry sparkling.
Stay Tuned for Cleaning Products Available via PV3 Boutique.