There is nothing more breathtaking than a newly-polished yellow diamond, but in order to keep it as stunning as the day it came off the block, we do need to look after them. Here are my top tips for bringing the bling back and shimmer in your stones.
Always Keep Them Clean
For an instant sparkle, most of the time our diamonds simply need a good clean – I know mine do after a week of applying suntan lotion or cooking suppers for the boys! An easy DIY clean to do at home involves a little washing-up liquid mixed with warm water and a toothbrush. Soak your pieces for a few minutes and then using gentle brushstrokes just remove the dirt. There are more intense cleaning products available (including home sonic kits and chemical products), however make sure you take care and check with your jeweller as they may have long-term effects on treated diamonds and the metal you use.
Deep Cleaning is the Key
Aside from regular stay-at-home cleans, I would recommend you go one step further and every 1-2 years you take your pieces to a jeweller for a professional deep clean. By doing this, you can rest assured that your pieces have been properly cleaned and had all the settings checked – one client asked us to clean her engagement ring and all the stones started falling out of it, and we had to rework the whole piece!
Too Much Metal is Never a Good Idea
If the sparkle still hasn’t come back after a good clean, then it may be time for the experts to get involved. As I say to my all my clients, it is in the skill and the expertise of the workmanship that you will find the extra glimmer – over the years, I’ve had many clients come to me with stones that haven’t got that extra magic sparkle, and most times this is because there has been too much metal used in the casings which isn’t allowing the stone enough light to capture all the facets. This is when you may need to reset it and ensure you use an experienced team with a light touch.
Re-Cutting & Repolishing
Do you need to start again? Not literally (obviously), but new technology and up-dated techniques have meant polishing stones has moved on so far that it may be worth considering re-cutting or polishing a stone again? Our team at Noble Fine Jewellery are regularly reworking stones and settings in order to bring a new dimension to old cuts or modernize inherited pieces to give them more shine.
But what if you haven’t even started yet? Is there a way to get the most bling for your buck? In simple terms: yes. The choices you make at the start of your design journey will allow your jewellers to create a showstopper, which is why we will always start with the basics - the cut of the diamond. The most sparkling cut will ways be the round brilliant cut – it is the one that is most popular and destined to wow (which also makes it the most expensive).