Monday, October 04, 2010

Talk to Me – Keeping Your Rings Clean & Sparkly


So here is my question of the day….how do you keep your rings (or other jewelry) clean and sparkly? 

Here is my beautiful engagement ring June 7th or June 9th, 2005 the day after my husband proposed to me!  (I think one of those days are right, I would have to verify with Mickey D. on the exact day I got engaged as she has an amazing memory for those things and unfortunately I do not!)




It is beautiful and shiny and not a speck of dirt on it.  Now for the first couple years I wore my ring I would take it back to the jewelry shop from which we got it and have them clean it.  Of course we were going back frequently as they are a very reasonably priced jewelry store and owned by a young independent couple.  We went back those first couple years to get gifts for our wedding party, T’s ring, special occasion gifts, or special ornaments around the holidays.  However after the wedding and after I lost my job, spending money at a place like this was not an option so we stopped going up there except for very special items and in turn we rarely got my rings professionally cleaned by them.....maybe once every 12-16 months if we are lucky.  See I didn’t just want to walk in and ask them to clean my ring if we were not really shopping with them, though I get that they wouldn’t mind.  I don’t know why I feel bad about that, I mean we did spend money with them and I know they will clean it for me if I ask….but to go up there just to get it cleaned seems silly.  And so far that is the only way I know to get my rings cleaned as T. is apprehensive to use most ring cleaning products as he doesn’t want to hurt the ring.

Of course it is natural that your rings will become dirty from the natural release of sweat, skin and dirt on our hands….not to mention all the soap, lotions, and overall stuff we touch with our hands that will remain on our rings.  So between that and the lack of cleaning, my once sparkly and beautiful rings are disgustingly dirty. I am not exaggerating AT ALL.  They are dull, have dirt from the oils and dead skin on my fingers, and have completely lost that sparkle. Yes, my ring has no sparkle.  I am totally embarrassed at how gross my rings are.

Don’t believe me, take a look.  You may want to prepare yourself….this is GROSS. (Camera phone picture….sorry)




EW. And NO sparkle.

See that dark stuff in between the two emeralds…part of that is dirt.  Again Ew. And the diamond is really THAT dull that it would not photograph well no matter which camera I used. (I am embarrassed.)  I scrape the loose dirt out with my nails from inside the ring, but it is still tarnished and dirty.


I looooove my rings and I want to take care of them not only to respect the value of the rings, but because they represent something special to me and I just want them to look as good as they possibly can.  But I don't know how to keep them clean and though I do not want them dirty, I also do not want to ruin them with bad jewelry cleaners.

So here are my questions.

How do you keep your rings clean?  Do you think it is OK to go to the jeweler every few months to get your ring cleaned?  Should I offer them money to do it?  Are there ring cleaners out there that you trust to keep them clean?  Should I only get them professionally cleaned once a year?  Do your rings ever look as gross as mine do?!?!  


Please don't judge me based on how dirty my rings are

6 comments:

  1. Here's what I do.

    About once a year I get my white-gold rings re-rhodium dipped. My jeweler in Toledo always does it for free. ( Such nice people.)

    When I'm home in MX, I use Mr. Clean. I BOIL water. (In the microwave, because who needs a stove?), add a cap-full of Mr. Clean and let my rings SIT in it. Then, I use a VERY SOFT baby-tooth brush to clean it.

    The hotter the water - the better. The softer the brush - the better.

    They'll be sparkly and new-looking! And, you did it yourself, for free.

    (NOW, that's what I do for my ring because it doesn't have any emeralds... you may want to try just using hot water and soap for the emeralds? I wouldn't want to lead you astray, but for a diamond ring, I think it works perfectly.)

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  2. P.S. I think that if you bought your ring at a jeweler, they should always clean it for free. :)

    AND, my rings are DISGUSTING. SO gross.

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  3. I do the same thing Ky does in taking them to get re-rhodium dipped about once a year.

    In between, I either use an ultrasonic cleaner with jewelry cleaner (we have one a couple at work) OR at home I use a toothbrush and toothpaste. Yep, toothpaste. It's a mild abrasive - it's NEVER scratched my rings, and they look great afterward!`

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  4. Interesting. Mine are dingy too. I need to clean them. Bad.

    My mom used to use Windex on hers. They were always sparkly.

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  5. This is so fun! I was just about to post something related.

    I received my engagement right in June and have had it cleaned by the Jeweler 3 times already! Every time I notice a huge difference.

    I have heard toothpaste, Windex, and the jewelry cleaner all work great. They also told me to come get it rhodium dipped once a year (white-gold).

    I would just start going to a place and get it cleaned once a month or once every two.

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  6. Thanks ladies! I am going to try these suggestions and talk to the jeweler about the re-rhodium dip! I imagine that would help with the yellowing that is taking place on my rings!

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