Diamond Care- What to avoid

Diamonds may be one of the strongest substances in the world; however, they can chip and become loose or fall out of a setting. It is essential that you take care of your diamond jewelry. The most obvious ways of protecting your jewelry include taking it to the jeweler for an inspection and having it cleaned. Unfortunately there are many items which you probably use on a daily basis that can damage your diamond jewelry.

Lotions, Sprays and Makeup 

Lotion is used daily by both women and men; some people mistakenly use lotion to care for their diamond jewelry. Lotion should be avoided because it can weaken and discolor metal.  Lotions will dull the surface of your diamond and conceal the stone’s brilliance. Lotions also have a base which can gather under the prongs and loosen your diamond. Hairspray can stick to your diamond blurring the brilliance, as well as making your stone appear yellow. Sunscreens, makeup and other cosmetics contain numerous chemicals which can damage the setting of your diamond and cover its beauty

Cleaning products 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cleaning supplies contain harsh chemicals which are great for disinfecting and removing dirt. Natural diamonds are not greatly affected by these common household products. The brilliance of the diamond could appear dull if it is constantly exposed; however, once the diamond is cleaned it will look alive again.  The mounting of the diamond or any gold jewelry piece faces the biggest threat. Clorox will weaken the rhodium coating on white gold and cause the ring to turn yellow. It could also cause the metal become brittle inducing the prongs to break which will produce the stones to loosen and potentially fall out. Chlorine will corrode the metal, meaning that it will debilitate the setting, whether it is silver, gold or platinum. Some individuals believed that chlorine could be used to clean jewelry so they would go into swimming pools wearing their jewels and instead of cleaning their piece they would cause great damage. Windex has been used by consumers to clean jewelry. Windex contains ammonia which can remove the polish on some gemstones such as turquoise.

Avoid wearing your diamond jewelry while engaging in these activities:

  • Sleeping: It is recommended not to sleep with diamond jewelry in the event that your jewelry has loose diamonds and they fall out. Once the diamond falls out it is difficult to find it, especially since you move around when you’re asleep.
  • Exercising: Working out with jewelry is risky because your hands will become sweaty and your ring or other jewelry could fall off. If you use heavy weights and one hit your jewelry or diamond is could cause your diamond to fall or become loose or even worse your diamond could chip.
  • Cooking: You should avoid wearing your jewelry while cooking because the intense heat could damage gemstones. The various chemicals used to cook could also have a negative effect on your jewelry.
  • Showering: The chemicals in your shampoo, conditioner and body wash could cause your metal setting to discolor. The base on your shampoo and washes could gather up around the prongs of the setting and cause your stones to become loose. Like other cosmetics, shampoo will conceal the brilliance of the diamond. Although this is not a permanent effect, you will have to clean your diamond more often to keep its brilliance.
  • Washing dishes: Dish-washing liquid has harsh chemicals to scrub off grease and breakdown dirt. Washing the dishes with your rings or bracelets on will cause the washing liquid to settle on your jewels. We advise that you place your diamond jewelry in a safe place before washing the dishes or engaging in cleaning. Placing your jewels on the sink counter is very dangerous because your jewelry could easily fall down the drain.
  • Beach: Wearing your jewels to the beach is not a good idea. The coarse sand could scratch the setting. The sunscreen you apply could stick to your diamond and jewelry. Saltwater can also weaken the setting and cause it to discolor.

 

 

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