To keep your engagement ring as brilliant and sparkling as the day it was first slipped onto your finger, you need to understand how to keep your diamonds clean.

Dirt, oil and other debris accumulated from day to day wear can dull your diamond. In order to restore the stones to their former glory, you need to learn the appropriate ways to clean your diamonds to avoid damaging the stone.

Tools You’ll Need

To clean a diamond engagement ring properly, there are a few things you’ll need to have on hand to ensure your ring comes out looking sparkling and brilliant. First, you’ll need a shallow dish that’s deep enough for the ring to be submerged. A soft-bristle toothbrush will also be handy to help clean hard-to-reach spots, such as cracks and crevices around the setting or mounting. Finally, you’ll need a reputable mild jewelery cleaning solution, as well as a lint-free cloth for drying.

Cleaning Diamonds

When cleaning your diamond ring at home, you want to make sure you do a good job. Simple diamond solitaires are easy to clean, but more elaborate designs such as a Celtic engagement ring are more difficult because of the various crevices and nooks the design uses. Of course, you first need to determine if you actually can clean your ring at home. While you may know how to clean diamonds, if you are unsure about other gemstones that may be in the ring or the type of metal used, it is best to leave the cleaning to a professional to avoid accidental damage.

Before you start cleaning, set aside a clear space for your work. Rinse the diamond ring under running water first to help loosen any stuck debris. If fibers or hair are caught in the prongs, use tweezers to remove them.

Once you have prepared your cleaning space and pre-rinsed the ring, dip the jewelery into a mild cleaning solution. If it’s been awhile between cleanings or you have a particularly dirty ring, you can soak the ring in the solution. Refer to label directions as to how long you can safely soak your ring.

While firmly gripping the jewelry, remove from solution and use your soft-bristled toothbrush to scrub dirt away. Make sure you get all of the various nooks and crevices, as well.

Carefully rinse the jewelry under running water while ensuring every angle fo the ring is touched on, and gently dry the ring with your lint-free cloth for maximum shine and brilliance.

Whatever you do, do not use regular bar soap to clean your jewelry. This will actually cause build up on the diamonds, and will dull the stone, making it more difficult to clean later on. Using bleach or abrasive cleaners is also a no-no, as this can destroy or discolor the metal of your engagement ring.

While it’s always a good idea to have a ring cleaned professionally at least twice a year, you can keep your diamonds sparkling and gorgeous in between cleanings by learning the proper way to clean your diamond engagement ring at home.