Looking at diamonds in all shapes and sizes can be mesmerizing. The design, the shape, the cut and of course the sparkle makes it hard to look away. But have you ever wondered what makes a diamond become so eye-catching? If you would see a freshly mined diamond in its raw state, you may not recognize it as anything particularly special. However, with some ingenuity and hard work you can turn a dull raw diamond into a sparkling masterpiece. The key to maximizing this is how the diamond is cut. When light enters the diamond it bounces around between the different facets. This refraction and reflection process creates the brilliance that is so attractive to the eye. The more internal facets a diamond has, the more sparkle can be generated.

Now that we know what generates sparkle, why do the lights dim over time? On the one hand, if a diamond is not well cut, then this can impact the brightness it generates. But what about a well cut diamond? In theory if you place your diamond in a sealed case on your shelf, a sparkling, brilliant, well cut diamond should stay that way. In the real word, people would prefer to wear and enjoy their diamonds. This inevitably means that exposure to dirt, grease, oil and other elements will take a toll on a diamond’s sparkle. Natural elements such as inclusions (e.g. dirt, water, other minerals, and fluids that got trapped in the diamond during its formation process in the mantle) and diamond fluorescence (tendency to emit a glow under UV light) may make the diamond appear less bright and perhaps a bit more cloudy.

 

The question then becomes, what can you do about it? How can you return the sparkle to your precious stone and make it shine as bright as possible? The best piece of diamond ring maintenance advice is to keep your diamond clean! Making sure to give them a regular check up, (even every 2 weeks or so), is a good way to keep the dirt and grease away. Washing them gently with soap and water or soaking them in an ammonia based diamond cleaning solution are good ways of doing this. Make sure that the soap/ammonia is not too strong, as using strong chemicals might harm the diamond.

 

Another method to return the sparkle is using ultrasonic cleaners. This method uses ultrasonic waves through water to remove dirt and grime, however care should be taken as not to remove the stone(s) from their mounting(s) on the ring during the process. Some more of the best diamond cleaning techniques available are using a: silver dip chemical cleaner, jewelry polishing cloth, steam cleaner and jewelry tumbler. When brushing a diamond with a cloth or toothbrush, remember to be gentle as whichever method one uses, some of the precious stone may come off with the dirt/tarnish, so it is important not be too rough. Of course, be mindful not just of how to clean diamonds, but also where so as not to loose it down the sink.

We hope these diamond ring care tips have given you some insight into what it takes to keep your diamond sparkling. If you have a question about protecting diamond jewelry, whether you need to use professional diamond ring cleaning services or if cleaning your diamond ring at home suffices, or whether to use a natural diamond ring cleaner to keep your diamond sparkling or a different tool, please reach out to us at hello@thebetterdiamonds.com or click here.