Jewelry Care Series - Rings

Recently, we have had a few customers visit us asking us to help them with "runaway" stones. This made us think that it might be useful to start a Jewelry Care Series with little tidbits of information on how to take care of your special pieces. One of our recent customers came in with a beautiful antique ring where the emerald had fallen out of the setting. We replaced the stone and replaced the prongs in the delicate setting to prevent further problems. Although the emerald is now safe in it's new setting, we told her to make sure to check this ring on a regular basis. Unlike the diamond in your engagement ring, emeralds in particular are soft and more susceptible to wear and tear. Rings like this should be taken off when doing household chores.

In our busy lives, it's difficult sometimes to find the time to keep up with things like jewelry care. Unfortunately, it's the nature of jewelry, like most other things, to loosen or break when not properly cared for. Gold and platinum are strong metals, but they will bend and wear with time. Having the settings of your rings checked every six months to a year is very important, will save you a lot of stress and potentially a lot of money down the road.

Here are some tips for taking care of your treasured pieces:

• In addition to regular check-ups, try not to put your rings in drawers or jewelry boxes with lots of other pieces, as they may scratch each other.
• Take rings off before swimming in chlorinated pools or using cleaning products that contain bleach or chlorine, as these chemicals can discolor diamonds and other stones.
• Take rings or other jewelry off before doing any activities during which stones might be hitting hard surfaces. Any blows to your stones could damage them.
• Apply lotions and perfumes before putting on your jewelry. These products can damage or discolor your metals and stones - pearls are particularly susceptible to this kind of damage.
• Always research how to clean your particular stones. Every stone is different and requires different types of care.
• Never leave colored stones lying in the sun, they can bleach and fade.
  

Gentle & effective ways to clean diamond rings:
1. Soak your diamond ring in a warm solution of mild liquid detergent and water. Ivory dish washing liquid is a good choice, but any other mild detergent is fine.
2. Use a soft brush if necessary to remove dirt. Soft is the key -- don't use a brush with bristles that are stiff enough to scratch the ring's metal setting.
3. Swish the ring around in the solution, and then rinse it thoroughly in warm water. Close the drain first, or put the ring in a strainer to keep from losing it!
4. Dry the diamond ring with a lint-free cloth.
5. Ask your jeweler for a professional cleaning every once in a while.