How to Clean a Diamond Ring

Sometimes your diamond isn’t exactly sparkling like you want it to, but good news. You don’t have to go to a jeweler every time you want your ring to sparkle like it’s brand new.

You just need to know what to do, and we’re here to help.

How can I make my diamond ring sparkle?

Remember when you first got your ring and the diamond would catch the light just right and your eyes would literally turn into hearts like the heart-eyed smiley emoji?

Unfortunately, over time your ring got things on it: oil from your hands, lotion, debris from makeup, etc., until one day you looked down, and oh no. It was no longer catching the light, no longer glistening like it was its day job. It was… dirty.

Time for a solid cleaning!

To clean your diamond ring, simply mix a drop or two of regular dish soap in warm water. Don’t use anything labeled “moisturizing,” as it will only add an oily sheen to your ring. Place your ring in the solution and let it soak for 20–40 minutes. Gently rub the ring with a soft microfiber towel, or brush it with a very soft toothbrush, and rinse it under warm water. Use another soft microfiber towel or let it air dry. Avoid using a paper towel or anything that might scratch the delicate metal.

How do jewelers clean diamond rings?

The answer to this question is a little complicated, but the long and short of it goes like this:

Jewelers use an ultrasonic cleaner that creates bubbles that latch onto the dirt particles that call your diamond home and bring them to the surface. From there, the jeweler typically blasts a strong gust of steam onto your ring to remove the dirt and grime and restore your ring’s shine. 

If you want to disinfect your diamond ring after cleaning it, reach for PhoneSoap. Just place your diamond ring in the PhoneSoap, and after a few minutes, it’ll be 99.99% germ-free.* No, really. It’s that easy and you can do it from the comfort of your own home. It’s basically the very definition of a win/win.

Can you clean a diamond ring with vinegar? 

While vinegar is slightly acidic and needs to be used with caution on more porous stones, it will do a fabulous job on your diamond ring. Simply mix a half cup of white vinegar with 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Stir until the baking soda is totally dissolved, then soak your diamond ring in the solution for 2–3 hours. Rinse the ring in cold water and either let it air dry or wipe it gently with a soft cloth.

What is the best homemade jewelry cleaner?

The best homemade jewelry cleaner, and the one we most strongly recommend, is warm water and a few drops of dish soap. (See above for how to soak your jewelry in this solution.) It’s easy, effective, and will help your ring to safely keep its sparkle.

Another DIY jewelry cleaner that we like to use is witch hazel, which you can find at your local drugstore. Combine 1 half cup of witch hazel with a drop of tea tree oil and allow your jewelry to soak in the mixture for several hours. When you’re ready to take it out, coat the item in baking soda and use a very soft toothbrush to gently scrub it. Finish by rinsing it in cold water.

Can you scratch a real diamond?

While diamonds are almost entirely scratch-proof (they’re at the very top of the Mohs scale, the most commonly used scale of mineral hardness), they can be scratched by another diamond. Likewise, they are vulnerable to damage: diamonds can chip or fracture if hit in a “soft” spot. To sidestep this issue as much as possible, you may want to avoid rings with a raised setting that makes the stone more susceptible to harm.

How do you make a fake diamond look real? And what is a good fake diamond called?

While the layman probably will never be able to tell a fake diamond from a real one, a trained eye can easily spot a fake diamond. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything you can do to fix that, since it has to do with things like the diamond’s light refraction and flaws. A real diamond will have some, while a fake diamond will be perfect.

So while you can’t make a faux diamond appear real to someone who is trained to spot a fake, you can know what stones most closely resemble a real diamond: cubic zirconia, moissanite, white sapphire, and yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG).

Why is my diamond cloudy? 

According to Beyond4C’s, a site dedicated to educating its readers on the four C’s of gemstones (cut, clarity, carat weight, color), clarity issues are the main culprit for why a diamond might look cloudy. “This is fundamentally due to the nature/severity of the inclusions and things tend to get worse as you go lower in clarity grades. In general, when a low clarity diamond has inclusions like clouds, twinning wisps listed as the grade making inclusions, it calls for extra caution. This is because excessive clouds, twinning wisps, and pinpoints can affect the brilliance of the diamond.”

While clarity issues may be affecting your diamond's sparkle, it's also likely that it looks cloudy because it’s due for a good cleaning. To fix this, follow the steps listed above to clean your ring. If even after cleaning it your ring still looks cloudy, take it a jeweler and have it examined. They can help you figure out what’s going on with your diamond.

What can destroy a diamond? 

The answer to this question is pretty simple: If you hit a diamond hard enough, it can break.

We've all heard that a diamond is the hardest material we know of, but there's a difference between being hard and being strong. While a diamond is hard enough to scratch tungsten or steel, it's not strong enough to avoid being broken if it's hit hard enough in the right spot. This explains why your diamond can chip when you accidentally hit your hand on your countertop.

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*PhoneSoap 3 has been tested by an independent, third-party laboratory to be 99.99% effective against Salmonella, E. coli, MRSA, H1N1, Coronavirus 229E, Staphylococcus, Rhinovirus, Rotavirus. It has been tested on actual phones, Apple™ watch, headphones, credit cards, and keys. PhoneSoap 3 has also been tested to be 99.99% effective against Salmonella, H1N1, rotavirus, and rhinovirus using a modified ASTM E1153 and ASTM E1053-11 for efficacy of UV light on general hard non-porous surfaces such as glass, metals, and plastics. Real-world results may vary depending on size, shape, and material of phone or phone case.