Keep your diamond sparkling brilliantly

Handle your diamond sparingly and keep its brilliance

The best way to keep your diamond shining brilliantly is to handle it minimally. Diamonds are affected by the oils from your skin. In fact, they seem to have a particular attraction for the grease. And dirt can accumulate on the grease covering the brilliance of the diamond.

However, diamonds are for wearing and wearing them means they will accumulate grease and dirt. So how do you keep your diamond shining brilliantly? There are ways.

Simple cleaning of diamonds

The milder, ammonia based detergents are excellent for removing grease and dirt from the diamond surface, and bring back their shine. A simple method is as follows.

Leave your diamond jewelry in an ammonia based detergent liquid, such as window cleaner, overnight. Next morning, take them out and brush them gently with a toothbrush that has been set aside for this purpose. Then rinse them thoroughly under a hot water faucet. Repeat the process of brushing and rinsing till all the grease and dirt has been removed.

Don’t use chlorine based detergents or those containing abrasives. While these might not affect the diamond itself, they can damage or even dissolve tiny metal parts holding the diamond. The diamond might even fall off in such a case. Even the toothpaste that you use has some abrasives in it. (So using the toothbrush you use for brushing the diamond ring might damage the intricate metalwork holding the diamond!)

After the brushing and rinsing is over, dry the diamond using a clean, lint free cloth. Your diamond should be back its old self by now.

More advanced cleaning

It is possible that a diamond that has been worn frequently over a long period has accumulated grease and dirt that has formed too tough a cover to be removed using the simple cleaning process above.

In such cases, you can go for ultrasonic cleaning. Under this method, a device that emits high frequency sound waves vibrates the cleaning detergent liquid. The vibrating liquid can loosen up even the stickiest particles, and also reach those hard to reach crannies such as those behind the diamond.

High frequency sound waves can loosen up the diamond itself from its mounting where the latter consists of delicate metalwork, as in the case of a pave setting. In these cases, you should entrust the cleaning to a professional jeweler.

You can avoid such eventualities by doing the simple cleaning regularly. And by keeping the diamond mostly in its special case. Take it out only on those special occasions when you must wear it. That way, the diamond will retain its brilliance practically for ever.

Acquire diamond Know-how

Do you know that you can become an amateur gemologist by using the resources available at the website of GIA, Gemological Institute of America? GIA trains gemologists the world over and has articles about all aspects of diamonds at their website.

So, if you are a person comfortable with using computers and the Internet, visit the www.gia.edu website and learn all about diamonds!