The Do’s and Don’ts of DIY Diamond Jewelry Cleaning and Care

Diamond jewelry is something you treasure, so of course you want to keep it looking its best by cleaning it from time to time. Giving your jewelry an at-home cleaning every once in a while can ensure it looks as brilliant and beautiful as it did the day you bought it. 

But how should you clean your diamond jewelry? In this post, we’re sharing the answer to this FAQ! Read on to see our list of the do’s and don’ts of DIY diamond jewelry cleaning. In addition to sharing all our top cleaning tips, we’ll also share a few important general care tips. By browsing our top tips for jewelry cleaning and care, you’ll learn everything you need to know about keeping your diamond jewelry safe, protected, and sparkling. 

Diamond Jewelry Cleaning and Care DO’s and DON’Ts 

1. DO: Use the Soap and Water Cleaning Method 

If you notice your diamond jewelry is getting a bit dim or dull, you can easily clean it at home using the simple soap and water method: 

How to Safely Clean Your Jewelry At Home With Soap and Water

• Step 1: Start by making a warm water and soap solution in a bowl. Standard dish soap is the best soap option for your solution. Be sure to use a dish soap that doesn’t contain bleach, which can be damaging to jewelry, or moisturizing ingredients, which can leave a film on your jewelry. 
• Step 2: Place your diamond jewelry in your bowl and let it soak for around 20 minutes. 
• Step 3: Remove your jewelry and gently scrub it with a soft bristled toothbrush. 
• Step 4: Rinse your jewelry with water. Remember to plug any drain you hold your jewelry over so you don’t risk dropping it down a pipe! 
• Step 5: Dry your jewelry with a soft cloth or let air dry. Don’t use paper towels to dry your jewelry, as they can be too harsh and could potentially scratch precious metals. 
• Step 6: If you feel like your jewelry is still a bit dirty, simply repeat steps 1 through 5. 

Wondering how often you should clean your diamond jewelry using this method? We generally recommend cleaning frequently worn pieces, like everyday diamond studs or an engagement ring, around once a month at home. Then, for less frequently worn pieces, simply use this method when you think your jewelry is starting to look dull or dim. 

2. DON’T: Use Harsh Chemicals to Clean Your Jewelry 

Sometimes people are tempted to use harsh products to clean their jewelry— but we strongly advise against trying this! Harsh chemicals and physical exfoliants can easily damage precious metals and certain gemstones.

There are many common household cleaning products that contain harsh chemicals that can easily damage jewelry, such as glass cleaners, window cleaners, and any cleaner that contains bleach. To keep your jewelry from getting accidentally damaged, we advise you to play it safe and never use any harsh chemical product or abrasive material to clean your jewelry. 

3. DO: Take Your Jewelry Off When You Apply Certain Products 

Diamond jewelry can get dull or grimy from accumulating dust, dirt, and our skin’s natural oils. But it can also start to get very dirty, very quickly, from the residue left behind by many common skincare or beauty products. Things like sunscreen, perfume, lotion, and hairspray can all leave behind an unsightly film on your jewelry. So to keep your jewelry from becoming dirty quickly, always take it off before applying these types of products. 

4. DON’T: Use At Home Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaners 

Want to keep the diamonds in your diamond hoops safe and sound? Don’t use an ultrasonic cleaner to restore their sparkle. 

Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners are designed to clean your jewelry through vibration. And while these machines may accomplish their goal of cleaning jewelry, they can also sometimes damage jewelry. When these machines vibrate, they may start to loosen jewelry prongs, which puts you at risk of losing a stone.

So though ultrasonic jewelry cleaners may affectively clean your jewelry, we caution you against using them due to the risk of damaging your jewelry. In our opinion, these machines are simply not worth the risk, especially because you can easily, effectively, and safely clean your jewelry by just using the soap and water method we outlined above. 

5. DO: Store Your Jewelry Safely 

When you aren’t wearing your diamond jewelry, it’s important that you store it in a safe place where it won’t get lost, dirty, or damaged. By simply placing your jewelry in the same place every time you take it off (like in a jewelry box or its original box), you can help to keep it safe and ensure that dust doesn’t accumulate on it. 

Additionally, we do want to note that you may want to store your diamond jewelry in a separate place (or in a separate compartment) from your other jewelry. Diamonds are very hard, which makes them quite durable. However, the hardness of a diamond means it can also potentially scratch the precious metals or other gemstones in your jewelry box. Particularly of note, we caution you against storing diamond jewelry next to pearl and opal jewelry, since these gemstones are quite delicate. Consider storing more fragile jewelry away from your diamond jewelry in a soft cloth pouch or within a cloth-lined box. 

Note: See more tips on how to care for and store your jewelry by browning our Jewelry Care Guide! 

6. DON’T: Wear Your Diamond Jewelry to Sleep or Take it Off Over a Sink

Keep your diamond earrings and other diamond jewelry safe and free from damage by carefully taking your jewelry off before bed. 

Lastly, to keep your diamond jewelry from getting lost or damaged, we recommend that you be careful when you practice your bedtime routine. 

First, remember that jewelry should always be taken off before you go to sleep, even diamond jewelry. We know that many people think it’s alright to wear their diamond studs or their diamond engagement ring to sleep, since this may not be uncomfortable and diamonds are very durable. However, your diamond studs’ settings and your engagement ring’s setting can sometimes get damaged if you wear them to sleep. While your diamonds are unlikely to become damaged if you wear them to sleep, precious metals are another story. Putting pressure on precious metals while you sleep can sometimes damage your jewelry’s settings, loosening prongs or bending earring posts and backings. 

Secondly, as you take off your jewelry at night, know that you shouldn’t do so over a sink (or any type of drain). Many people take their jewelry off in the bathroom as they get ready for bed. But we recommend avoiding this and instead taking your jewelry off far away from sinks and bathtubs, since it’s very easy to drop a diamond stud or a diamond ring in a drain.