Why Your Diamond Jewelry Becomes Dull — And How To Get The Shine Back

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New jewelry that is shiny and sparkly is a joy to see, especially if that sparkle comes from a gorgeous diamond and the shine from a custom band. Over time, however, the sparkle and shine start to dim. This is normal and happens to every piece of jewelry, and it's something you can prevent through proper care. But you do need to keep an eye on the jewelry and care for it regularly. You may want to add it to your list of chores, believe it or not, as it's a task that can be easily overlooked without reminders.

Protecting the Jewelry

A lot of the dirt and gunk that gets into diamond jewelry is due to carelessness and not protecting the ring. If you're cleaning or doing something like kneading dough or mixing meat by hand, wear gloves or take off the ring. If you're swimming in a pool full of chlorine, take off your earrings. In other words, don't expose the jewelry to conditions that could dull it or dirty it rapidly. That being said, you will still notice some dulling over time even if you take pains to protect the jewelry. That's where maintenance comes in. And by the way, if you're planning to have custom jewelry made, you can look specifically for settings that aren't as conducive to trapping dirt.

Maintaining the Jewelry

Maintaining the jewelry is easy as long as you know what the materials are. In other words, you don't want to use a silver polishing cloth on a white gold band, for example, due to the risk of scratching the gold. Gently wash the jewelry with mild soap and water, and ever so gently brush the areas around prongs or other crevices around the diamond to remove loose dirt. Use a clean, new toothbrush with soft bristles. In fact, you may want to keep a supply of soft-bristled children's toothbrushes on hand because these have smaller heads.

Cleaning the Jewelry

Despite your best efforts, sometimes diamonds begin to dull anyway. Maybe you didn't have time to keep maintaining them, or you've just been through a rather intense event that wasn't too kind to your jewelry, such as a very fast house move. It's time to clean the diamond jewelry, and the good news is that cleaning is, for the most part, similar to maintaining as long as the jewelry isn't stained or tarnished. A little baking soda mixed with water in a cup lined with aluminum foil is a great soak for silver jewelry that's been tarnished; rinse and dry the jewelry after. You can also find gemstone cleaning fluid in the form of a dispenser with a small brush at the end for a final shine for the stone.  

If you are having some custom diamond jewelry made, you can make caring for the item a lot easier by looking for settings that are easy to keep clean. Discuss with the jeweler whether an engraving will be simple to brush clean, for example, or find out how pave-style diamonds will be set into the ring to ensure they don't loosen when you try to clean in between them.

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7 December 2021