| Keeping the sparkle alive |
| It is important to learn about the care and cleaning of a diamond to ensure its brilliance and sparkle. Customers often ask why their jewelry looks different from when it was first purchased. The answer is simple. First, ask yourself how often you clean a shirt or blouse. Now, ask yourself how often you have your jewelry cleaned. Just as you wouldn’t expect your clothes to look like new when they’ve been worn and not cleaned, you can’t expect your jewelry to look like new either. Jewelry accumulates dirt through everyday wear. Cooking, baking, gardening and home cleaning can all affect how beautiful your jewelry will look. It’s best to store your ring in a jewelry box when at home to avoid possible damage and to prevent it from getting dirty or damaged when doing “chores”. If you prefer to wear your ring all the time, you should clean it at home at least every 1-2 weeks. It is not a good idea to wear your ring while exercising. Whether you are lifting weights or holding onto an elliptical machine or bicycle handlebars, the pressure you put on the prongs will cause them to move and will make it easier for a diamond to fall out. Wearing exercise gloves does not provide the sufficient protection required for your delicate jewelry. Platinum Platinum is a durable metal. It won’t wear down easily. But it is also a soft metal. It will show scratches faster than gold and it does bend rather easily. You might find that the bottom of a ring may bend somewhat and take the shape of your finger. Because platinum is so malleable, the prongs or Pave’ beads can move if pressure is placed on them. The more delicate the ring, the more possible it will bend. This is especially dangerous for an eternity wedding band. With that said, you need to be even more careful when wearing a Platinum ring during everyday activity. You should have your ring professionally inspected at least once a year. In fact, most insurance companies require an annual inspection of insured jewelry. Since we don’t charge a fee for this service, feel free to bring us your jewelry for inspection yearly. After inspecting for loose stones and possible structural damage we will provide a thorough cleaning which will bring your ring back to its original brilliant condition. Storage of your jewelry Since a diamond is the hardest substance known to man, a diamond will scratch another diamond when thrown together into a jewelry box or pouch. Therefore, jewelry should be stored in a fabric-lined case with sections and compartments. This will protect all your jewelry from being scratched. Also, it’s best not to keep White Gold jewelry in sealed plastic bags. The lack of oxygen will strip the Rhodium plating and the jewelry will start to tarnish. If this happens, all that needs to be done is to bring it in for us to polish and Rhodium plate the jewelry again. Self-cleaning at home You can and should clean your jewelry at home between visits to your jeweler. Use a brand name liquid dish detergent (Dawn, Palmolive…) and a soft toothbrush. Prepare a small bowl of warm sudsy water with the detergent and gently brush the diamond jewelry with the soft toothbrush. Try to get under the stones and in between the prongs. Then, be sure that the sink has its stopper in place and rinse the jewelry under running water. While you’re rinsing use the toothbrush again to get any extra dirt and soap that might be stuck on the stones. Then, dry it with a lint free cloth. Do not put diamond jewelry in a pot of boiling water, as is suggested by some jewelers. When not done properly, the boiling process can damage a diamond or the metal.Please feel free to call and we will schedule a complimentary professional inspection cleaning. |