Diamond care · Glasgow

How to Clean Diamond Jewellery at Home

Practical advice for cleaning your diamond jewellery at home and caring for it between professional inspections.

Home diamond-cleaning setup with two glass bowls, a soft white toothbrush resting in one bowl, Fairy washing-up liquid, a blue towel and a pale-blue cloth on white marble. — Everything you need for cleaning at home.

A diamond can quickly lose some of its sparkle when natural oils, hand cream, soap and everyday dirt collect on its facets—especially underneath the stone. Regular cleaning can help your diamond jewellery retain its lustre.

Before you begin

Check the diamond and setting in good light. Do not deliberately push or wiggle the diamond.
If it appears tilted, moves during ordinary handling, makes a faint clicking sound, or a claw looks raised, worn or catches on fabric, stop wearing the piece and arrange an inspection before cleaning it.
Choose a secure work surface and cover it with a clean towel. Work away from an open sink and use two small bowls—one for cleaning and one for rinsing. If the centre diamond or any small shoulder diamonds come loose, they’ll stay in the bowl instead of being washed down the drain.

What you will need

Two small bowls: one for cleaning and one for rinsing.
Comfortably warm—not hot—water.
A few drops of mild, standard washing-up liquid, such as original Fairy Liquid.
A new, clean, soft or extra-soft toothbrush kept only for cleaning jewellery.
A clean towel and a clean, soft, lint-free cloth.

A careful method

Seven simple steps

Prepare the area

Lay down the clean towel and place both clean bowls securely on the work surface.

Make the cleaning solution

Add a few drops of mild washing-up liquid to one bowl of comfortably warm water. Do not use hot water.

Soak briefly

Place the diamond jewellery in the solution for a few minutes. A longer soak may be needed for heavier everyday build-up, provided the piece is suitable and the setting is sound.

Oval diamond solitaire ring soaking briefly in comfortably warm soapy water in a clean glass bowl on a blue towel.

Keeping the jewellery inside the bowl throughout this stage means that any small diamond from the shoulders or another part of the setting would remain visible and retrievable.

How often should diamond jewellery be cleaned?

At John Macintyre & Son, our staff clean their own diamond rings—whether mined or lab-grown—at least once a week to help prevent everyday build-up and keep their diamonds sparkling.

If you wear your diamond jewellery regularly, cleaning once or twice a week may help prevent grease and dirt from building up. Clean less often if the piece is delicate, older or not worn every day.

Brush very gently

Use the soft toothbrush to clean around the setting and behind the diamond, where oil and dirt tend to collect. Do not scrub vigorously, particularly around older claws or a tension setting.

Hands with short oval sheer-blush nails holding an oval diamond ring above a clean glass bowl and gently brushing beneath the setting with a soft white toothbrush. — Use a new soft or extra-soft toothbrush gently around and beneath the setting.

Pay particular attention to the underside of the diamond and the small spaces around the setting, where everyday build-up is most likely to collect.

Look at the setting

While cleaning, check that the claws and other contact points appear intact. Do not try to tighten or adjust the setting yourself.

Rinse safely

Rinse the jewellery in the second bowl of clean water.

Hands with short oval sheer-blush nails carefully drying an oval diamond ring with a pale-blue soft cloth on a white marble worktop. — Dry the ring carefully with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth.

Dry carefully

Use a soft, lint-free cloth to absorb as much moisture as possible, then allow any areas you cannot reach to air-dry fully.

How often should diamond jewellery be cleaned?

At John Macintyre & Son, our staff clean their own diamond rings—whether mined or lab-grown—at least once a week to help prevent everyday build-up and keep their diamonds sparkling.

If you wear your diamond jewellery regularly, cleaning once or twice a week may help prevent grease and dirt from building up. Clean less often if the piece is delicate, older or not worn every day.

Workshop care

Professional care for jewellery purchased from us

For diamond jewellery purchased from John Macintyre & Son, professional cleaning can be combined with a visual inspection of the setting. If you notice movement, a catching claw or visible wear, stop wearing the piece and arrange an assessment at our Mitchell Lane showroom.

Read about our workshop services

Before you start

Check the setting

Look at the diamond and setting in good light. Do not push or wiggle the stone.
If a stone moves, clicks, appears tilted, or a claw looks raised, worn or catches on fabric, stop wearing the piece and arrange an inspection.
Work on a clean towel, away from an open sink, using one bowl for cleaning and another for rinsing.

What you will need

Two small, clean bowls
Comfortably warm—not hot—water
A few drops of mild washing-up liquid
A new soft or extra-soft toothbrush
A clean towel and a soft, lint-free cloth

A careful method

Seven simple steps

Tap each numbered step to see the instructions.

1Prepare the area

Lay down the clean towel and place both clean bowls securely on the work surface.

2Make the cleaning solution

Add a few drops of mild washing-up liquid to one bowl of comfortably warm water. Do not use hot water.

3Soak briefly

Place the diamond jewellery in the solution for a few minutes. A longer soak may be needed for heavier everyday build-up, provided the piece is suitable and the setting is sound.

4Brush very gently

Use the soft toothbrush around the setting and behind the diamond, where oil and dirt collect. Do not scrub vigorously, particularly around older claws or a tension setting.

Hands holding an oval diamond ring above a clean glass bowl and gently brushing beneath the setting with a soft white toothbrush. — Brush gently around and beneath the setting.

5Look at the setting

Check that the claws and other contact points appear intact. Do not try to tighten or adjust the setting yourself.

6Rinse safely

Rinse the jewellery in the second bowl of clean water.

7Dry carefully

Use a soft, lint-free cloth to absorb as much moisture as possible, then allow any areas you cannot reach to air-dry fully.

Hands carefully drying an oval diamond ring with a pale-blue soft cloth on a white marble worktop. — Dry the ring carefully with a clean, soft, lint-free cloth.

Professional cleaning tips

John Macintyre & Son tipA new soft or extra-soft baby toothbrush has a small head that can reach behind the diamond and around the setting. Keep it only for cleaning jewellery.

GIA and IGI tipsDry diamond jewellery with a soft, lint-free, clean microfibre or chamois cloth. Avoid paper towels, which may leave fibres around the claws and can be abrasive.

How often should diamond jewellery be cleaned?

Our staff clean their own mined and lab-grown diamond rings at least once a week. For suitable diamond jewellery worn regularly, cleaning once or twice a week may help prevent build-up. Clean less often if the piece is delicate, older or not worn every day.

Workshop care

Professional care for jewellery purchased from us

Professional cleaning can be combined with a visual inspection of the setting. If you notice movement, a catching claw or visible wear, stop wearing the piece and arrange an assessment at our Mitchell Lane showroom.

Read about our workshop services