Your diamond engagement ring is a treasured and beautiful keepsake. In fact, if you wear your wedding rings daily, everyday buildup of body oils, hand cream and dirt may cloud your precious stones.

While your stone is harder than a rock, it can also break or chip if it is hit too hard from certain angles. To keep your wedding jewelry clean and pristine, you’ll need to follow a step-by-step cleaning and storing method to protect this important memento.

How to Clean

You can clean your diamond rings with a mixture of equal parts ammonia and chlorine. Or you can clean your rings with an old toothbrush and a pea-sized amount of toothpaste.

Shane Company jewelry stores recommends cleaning by soaking your ring in a soapy solution of liquid soap and warm water. Rinse with warm water and apply the toothpaste to the stone with a toothbrush or dip the ring in the chlorine and ammonia mixture. Rinse the ring again with warm water and dry your jewelry with a lint-free cloth.

Repeat this cleaning method as often as needed. Rubies and sapphire rings are as hard as diamonds, so their care is similar to any basic diamond cleaning method. And if you like your gold ring squeaky clean, you can clean it once a week, without fear of damaging the gold setting.

Visit the Jeweler Annually

Ideally, you should take your engagement ring to the jeweler once a year to have it checked for loose settings and chips in the stone. And while you are visiting the jeweler, get your ring buffed, cleaned and steamed ultrasonically until it shines and gleams.

Engagement Ring Cleaning Warnings

Never clean your diamonds over your bathroom sink. Use small bowls to wash and rinse your rings to avoid losing your gems down the drain. If your diamond ring is set in gold, do not put any drops of toothpaste on the gold portion of your engagement ring. The toothpaste’s abrasive formulation may dull your gold band’s surface.

How to Maintain

Your wedding rings should be the first thing you take off before you go to bed and the last thing you put on in the morning. That way, your ring won’t get filled with perfume, lotions, natural skin oils and hair spray. Always apply your personal care products before putting on your wedding rings.

Precious metals shine when you polish them with a chamois cloth. You can purchase this cloth inexpensively at your local fine jeweler.

How to Store

The most common injury with any jewelry is scratching. Although diamonds are the hardest substances on planet earth, diamonds can scratch and chip other diamonds.

To prevent scratches on your stone or setting, or tarnishing your setting, separate your fine jewelry pieces in boxes with small compartments or on velvet-lined trays.

When you travel, wrap your rings in a lint-free cloth and place them in a plastic bag. Tuck this bag into your jewelry roll to protect your ring from damage. Clean and polish your rings with a jewelry cloth to minimize the appearance of scratches before storage.

Presented by ShaneCo.