Cleaning Your Wedding Rings and Jewelry

I was with a group of ladies recently and several were saying how dirty their wedding rings are.  One person said she never took hers off and had never cleaned it.  Sometimes rings get too tight (i.e. certain times of the month, after eating salty foods and/or walking with your hands swinging for a long time).  Generally though, taking care of your wedding rings is such a simple thing to do and a way to honor your husband.   If you are wearing a diamond you can be certain that your husband paid probably $1,000+ for it.  If you are wearing a solid gold band, these days with gold going up, at least $600+.  Whatever the value, he definitely sacrificed a bit to buy you your rings, so take care of them and wear them proudly.  

I have the prongs on mine checked at least once a year, sometimes more if I know I've snagged it on something.   Wouldn't that be awful to have the diamond fall out somewhere? This  has happened to more than one friend of mine.  :(  Every time I go to the jeweler I have them use their sonic cleaner after they inspect the prongs.     I've often wondered about a sonic cleaner. Is it a high-pitched noise that cleans the rings? is it some space-age equipment?  These are free services offered by most reputable jewelers.   I don't have one of those little machines, but I do use liquid jewelry cleaner that you can get for $5.00 or less from any department or discount store.   I usually find a jar in my Christmas stocking each year (my sons know I like to keep my jewelry clean).

More thrifty tips on cleaning your rings are at THIS LINK.

I mentioned to the jeweler the last time I had the prongs checked, that I often notice a film on my ring and need to clean it every few days.  He said that ideally, you should soak it in jewelry cleaner while you're doing something in your daily routine so it doesn't get forgotten, i.e. while  you are taking a shower in the morning. The soap scum doesn't build up by doing this little 3-5 minute routine regularly and it keeps your wedding rings (and other jewelry) sparkling and looking new. You'll want to go outside just to see them in the light. :)

Something else the jeweler told me that was a surprise to  me was that diamonds are petroleum "magnets".   He said that the soaps that we use (bar soap in the shower, face soap in the bathroom, etc.) leave a film on diamonds because they are petroleum based as are so many products that are typically used in a household.  I had no idea.  Check the labels to see if petroleum is in the products you are using.  I found several derivatives of petroleum in ours [Petrolatum, PVP/VA Copolymer].  Even  "good" ingredients like shea butter which I like to use, leaves a film on jewelry.  

Show your husband that you treasure his special gift to you by keeping your rings clean. It is a simple thing to show honor.

TIPS:  

1.  Put hand lotion on BEFORE putting your rings on.  If you have to use it while wearing your rings, be careful to not get it on the stones. 

2.  Do NOT take your rings off away from home to wash them or put lotion on. The likelihood of losing them is greater.  [I lost a custom class ring doing this--Grad Night at Disney World, 1973.  I have never done that since.  My parents were generous and replaced it for me but I felt terrible.]


EBAY SIDE NOTE:   I recently listed a lot of estate costume jewelry in my Ebay store. Much of it was  pretty dirty when I first got them.   I cleaned many of the pieces with the cleaner above and then listed some of the pieces this week.   They look like new now and one already has a bid on it. I will definitely clean the rest. :)