Image credit: Bel Diamond
Your wedding rings deserve careful attention and maintenance to preserve its shine and integrity. Whether it features natural diamonds, lab-grown gems, or is crafted from gold, white gold, or platinum, knowing how to care for your ring can ensure it lasts a lifetime. This guide provides essential care tips tailored to different types of stones and metals, helping you keep your precious piece in pristine condition.
Simple Guidelines
- Cleanse your rings regularly with tailored methods
- Remove rings before exposure to harsh chemicals
- Store them in a jewellery box or cloth bag separately
- Check regularly for loose stones
- Avoid exposure to extreme heat and sunlight
Care Tips for Different Gemstones
Each type of gemstone in your wedding ring requires specific care to maintain its luster and prevent damage. Cleaning with mild soap, warm water and a soft brush is generally safe. Below is a table outlining the best practices for natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds, and coloured gems:
| Gemstone Type | Care Tips |
| Natural Diamonds | Use a soft brush and soapy water to gently clean. Diamonds can be cleaned with alcohol. Avoid harsh chemicals and extreme temperatures. |
| Lab-Grown Diamonds | Similar to natural diamonds, clean with mild soap and water. Handle gently to avoid scratches. |
| Coloured Gems | Familiarise yourself with specific sensitivities (eg: according to the stone you have and clean them with warm soapy water and a soft brush. Avoid harsh detergents, hot temperatures, and rapid changes in air pressure. Finally, rinse and dry the stones with a soft cloth. |
Care Tips According To Metal Types
| Common Metal Type | ||
| Gold. | Since gold is soft and prone to scratching, especially at higher karats, it warrants repeating that you should be particularly aware as to taking your ring off, such as before cleaning. It’s easy to forget or simply not bother due to how inconvenient this can sometimes be, but you wouldn’t want to regret any damage to it after! Also avoid exposing your wedding band to chemicals (e.g., cleaning agents) wherever possible. You can clean your gold wedding ring with a mild soap (one with a low pH level and no harsh chemicals that could cause damage, such as baby soap or glycerine soap) | |
| White Gold | Because white gold is rhodium plated it protects the gold underneath from shallow scratching and scuffing. To preserve its shine, it is best to remove ring before contact with harsh chemicals, swimming and showering. Avoid wearing a white gold jewellery next to other metals, for example; yellow gold which tends to cause the rhodium plating to rub off quicker. | |
| Silver | Aside from the risk of scratches since it’s also a soft metal, silver jewellery tends to tarnish more easily than gold. You can slow the process by storing your silver wedding band in a cool (avoid sunlight), dry place when you aren’t wearing it, such as a cloth bag or jewellery box. Regularly polishing it with a soft cloth also helps prevent oxidation. Be wary of cleaning silver jewellery with baking soda since it’s an abrasive substance; it might be safer to just stick with a mild soap or commercial silver cleaner. | |
| Platinum. | Although platinum neither tarnishes nor corrodes, it can develop a patina over the years. That can aesthetically be a nice effect, but if you favour the clean elegance of your platinum wedding band when it was brand new, have it polished by a professional to return it to its former glory. | |
