Proper Jewelry Care
Hi, all! Welcome back to the #RequiemReportBlog - thanks for being here!
Today we are going to take a break from diamond facts that help you purchase the right engagement ring, and talk more about what to do after you have your perfect ring. While engagement rings are of course constructed to last, they are definitely not indestructible. So it is very important to take proper care of your special jewelry pieces to ensure that they have the longest life possible, and today I am going to teach you how to do that! When should you take off the ring? How often should you have it inspected? How do you clean it? Jewelry insurance… What?! We’re going to cover it all today, so buckle up!
First things first, let’s chat about when you should probably just take off the ring to be safe. As a general rule of thumb, I would say take off the ring whenever you’re doing any sort of activity that requires a lot of impact or pressure on your hands… and that is most often when you’re exercising. If you’re going to be lifting weights or doing a workout with a bunch of pushups, burpees (YUCK), or anything with a lot of pushing off of your hands, I would advise you to take off your engagement ring - or any other rings for that matter! I’d urge you to remove the ring whenever you’re exercising, but especially when you’re lifting weights… the metal-on-metal action of the ring against the weights can cause the ring to get ‘out-of-round’ or potentially damage some prongs, so it’s really not ideal. In addition to your typical everyday exercises, I wouldn’t recommend wearing your jewelry when doing activities like hiking, rock climbing, etc… whenever there’s a risk that it could be damaged, just remove it! You could purchase a simple metal band or a silicone ring to throw on in these situations; I say, better safe than sorry! If you are ever concerned that the ring could be lost or harmed, just don’t wear it.
Here is an example of a ring that has gotten ‘out-of-round’ from impact. Photo from quickjewelryrepairs.com
Next, let’s talk cleaning! When you take your pieces in for a professional cleaning at a jewelry store, they use a piece of equipment called an ultrasonic. An ultrasonic contains a heated cleaning solution and it uses high-frequency sound waves to vibrate and agitate all of the gunk and grime off of the jewelry! After soaking in the ultrasonic for a bit, the piece is usually hit with a hot, high pressure blast of steam to blow off any other dirt that might be left. Now, there are at-home ultrasonic cleaners that you can buy online, but I typically don’t recommend them; if you have one, you’ll probably overuse it. An ultrasonic is not something you want to use everyday or even every week, because those vibrations and sound waves can actually shake a stone loose in its setting. Of course, we don’t want that! So I recommend leaving the ultrasonics to the professionals, but there is a really safe way to get a great at-home cleaning, and I’m going to teach you how to do it!
For the most effective and safe at-home cleaning, follow these steps:
In a small dish, mix some warm water with a drizzle of dish soap.
Carefully set your ring in the soapy water, and let it soak for about 5 minutes.
Remove the ring from the dish, and scrub it gently with a soft toothbrush. Be sure to get at it from all angles, but be gentle!
Rinse the ring with clean water and lay it out to dry.
THAT’S IT! This process will get your ring nice and sparkly, and it could not be easier. So if you’re ever in need of a cleaning and can’t get to a professional, use this trick for a quick and safe at-home cleaning. If you want to see a video of these steps, check out the #RequiemReport video series on our Instagram page by clicking here.
At-Home jewelry cleaning. Photo from jewelersmutual.com
So now you know how to clean your ring at home, but there is another very important part of proper jewelry care and that is having your ring inspected by an expert on a regular basis. So if you think that there is a stone loose in your ring or any other sort of damage, take it in to be looked at immediately; but even if you think your ring is doing just fine, I recommend having it inspected by a professional one to two times per year. This way the expert can bring it to your attention if any prongs are wearing thin or there are any structural concerns, because it is better to do repairs in anticipation of a potential problem than to have to replace a diamond! So I say, get an expert’s eyes on it at least once a year, if you can, to ensure that everything is looking great. If you purchased your ring from Requiem, we will inspect and clean your jewelry any time at no charge. If you are an out-of-town client, contact us to set up an insured shipment and we will happily inspect your special pieces! (Shipping charges are the responsibility of the customer).
Professional jewelry inspection. Photo from diannaraejewelry.com
We’ve covered when to take off the ring, how to clean it, and how often to have it examined… but the final piece of proper jewelry care is…..INSURANCE! Yes, you should absolutely insure your valuable jewelry pieces. Even if you are extra careful and you regularly bring your ring in to a professional, you should still purchase insurance. Accidents happen, loss happens, theft (unfortunately) happens, and jewelry insurance will protect you in all of these scenarios. If you are a homeowner, you can add your valuable jewelry pieces onto your homeowner’s insurance policy, but I personally prefer to keep jewelry insurance separate. The company I recommend to everyone for jewelry insurance is Jeweler’s Mutual. They are wonderful to work with, reasonably priced, and jewelry is all they do! If you would like any more guidance or help with insuring your special pieces, Requiem is here to help.
Jewelers Mutual coverage breakdown. Photo from jewelersmutual.com
Well… you’ve reached the end! If you follow all of these suggestions for how to take proper care of your jewelry, your collection is sure to last a lifetime and beyond. An engagement ring is something to be cherished, so make sure you treat it well. As always, send us a message or an email with ANY questions whatsoever. Thanks for reading!