Even though diamonds are almost impossible to destruct, they can chip and the metals on your piece can be scratched if handled improperly. The Perfect Diamond Cleaning Toothbrush: Has Soft Bristles – Make sure it is not a toothbrush with rubber bristles.
Minerals are assigned a number between 1 and 10 on the Mohs Hardness Scale to describe how resistant to scratching they are. Diamonds are given the highest number, a 10. There is nothing that can scratch a diamond except another diamond. A mineral like talc, on the other hand, is a 1 on the scale.
"The best way to clean diamond rings is to make a solution with warm water (almost hot) and dishwashing soap. Soak your ring for about 20 to 40 minutes, gently brush the stone with a very soft toothbrush, and then rinse under warm running water," advises Mann.
It's a common myth that toothpaste can be used to clean jewelry. However, toothpaste can easily damage your diamond ring and gemstones. Diamond might be hard and strong, but this doesn't mean it has to be cleaned using toothpaste. The chemicals in the flavor used to make toothpaste are corrosive to metals.
Diamonds are exceptionally delicate, and thus, they require the utmost care. Harsh chemicals like acetone, chlorine, bleach and other abrasive substances like baking powder and toothpaste will damage your diamond beyond repair.
While incredibly tough, diamonds are still vulnerable to scratches just like other gemstones. The Mohs' scale (scale of mineral hardness) specifically defines hardness as the resistance to being scratched.
Diamond scratches are the result of a bit of rough-and-tumble the polished diamond has endured on its journey to your 'maybe' pile.
Jewelers use ultrasonic cleaners with high frequency sound waves and chemicals, which create bubbles that latch on to the dirt on the diamond. The high frequency sound waves pull the dirt away from the stone and bring them up to the surface.
The best mixture of cleaning solution for diamonds is ammonia or mild dish detergent with water. The ratio of this solution should be a quarter cup of ammonia to one cup of lukewarm water. After mixing the solution, simply let the piece of diamond jewelry soak in the solution for 20-30 minutes.
To clean diamonds, professional jewellers will use a specialised device referred to as an Ultrasonic Jewellery Cleansing Bath to get your piece sparkling once again. This device uses vibration and ultrasonic sound waves to lift the dirt and other pollutants off your diamond.
Toothpaste, baking soda, bleach, and other household cleaners are abrasive. While they won't damage your diamond, they can damage your gold. Windex won't hurt your ring, but it isn't a great cleaner either. So stick to mild soap and water, and six-month cleanings and check-ups at your jeweler.
If it scratches the glass, chances are good that the diamond is real. But, it's important to know that the scratch test could damage your diamond in the process. It's also not the most effective way to see if your diamonds is real since other gemstones can have the same effect on the glass.
As long as it retains its carat weight, it could still be fixed. A professional diamond expert uses a polished stone to remove scratches or any traces of it without diminishing the carat weight. In the rare case of severe damage, a diamond repair expert will cut away the damaged part and re-shape the stone.
This involves taking the diamond and attempting to scratch a mirror. If it leaves a mark on the mirror, it's a real diamond. However, the quality of false stones like cubic zirconia and moissanite has increased, and many can pass this test due to their durability.
If you have a loose diamond to test, fill a regular glass about ¾ of the way full with water. Gently drop the diamond into the glass. If the diamond sinks to the bottom, it's real. If it floats at the surface or just underneath, it's likely a fake.
The way that diamonds reflect light is unique: the inside of a real diamond should sparkle gray and white while the outside should reflect a rainbow of colors onto other surfaces. A fake diamond, on the other hand, will have rainbow colors that you can see inside the diamond as well.
Genuine diamonds do not sparkle in rainbow colors inside of the stone. Instead, the inside of real diamonds sparkles in tones white and gray. The play on light in the diamond is brilliance. One factor that determines a diamond's level of brilliance is the cut.
Keep the diamond clean.
This is probably the most important (and affordable) tip. A diamond that's dirty will not sparkle. Diamonds have an affinity for grease, so it's important to clean them regularly. Find out how to keep your diamond clean.
A diamond that has not been cleaned for a while can look milky due to a buildup of film and dirt on its facets. Cloudy diamonds can also have diminished transparency from inclusions or other characteristics intrinsic to the crystal from which they are cut.
The oils, lotions and soaps you use everyday can leave traces that accumulate over time and create a filmy layer over the stones, making them lose their sparkle.
Do not touch its stone a lot: While putting your ring on and taking it off, do not touch its stone. Particularly diamonds absorb oil easily and being exposed to a lot of touching causes the stone to lose its original sparkle.
When light enters an ideally-cut diamond, the light bounces around its internal facets, bends, and exits through the top of the diamond. This is known as refraction. Refraction creates a sparkle in a diamond as a result of light bouncing around the inside, which hits your eye when the stone is in motion.
Refraction and dispersion are the reasons why the light ray travels through the diamond. Diamond acts like a tiny complicated prism through which the light ray travels at different angles and gives a shiny appearance.