Diamonds are easy to keep sparkling, and the method costs almost nothing. This guide covers exactly how to clean diamond jewellery at home, how often to do it, and, just as importantly, what to avoid so you protect the metal and any other stones as well as the diamond itself.
To clean diamond jewellery, soak it for about twenty minutes in warm water with a little mild dish soap, brush gently with a soft toothbrush, rinse in clean warm water, and pat dry with a soft lint-free cloth. Do this roughly once a month, and keep it away from harsh chemicals like bleach, which harm the gold setting.
How to clean diamond jewellery at home
The safest and most effective clean is also the simplest, and it is gentle on the diamond, the gold and most gemstones alike. You need nothing more than warm water, a little mild dish soap, and a soft brush.
- Mix a small bowl of warm water with a few drops of mild dish soap. Warm, not hot.
- Soak the piece for around twenty minutes, which loosens the oils and grime that dull it.
- Brush it gently with a soft toothbrush, paying attention to the back of the diamond where buildup collects and blocks the light.
- Rinse in clean warm water. Put the plug in the basin or use a bowl, so nothing can slip down the drain.
- Pat it dry and buff gently with a soft, lint-free cloth. Avoid paper towel, which can scratch the metal and leave fibres behind.
That is the whole method, and it restores most of the sparkle a diamond seems to lose over time.
Why diamonds lose their sparkle
A diamond that looks dull is almost always just dirty, not damaged. As you wear it, skin oils, hand cream, soap and everyday grime settle on the back and underside of the stone, the part you cannot see. Because a diamond's brilliance depends on light passing into it and reflecting back out, as our guide to the 4Cs explains, even a thin film on the back blocks that light and leaves the stone looking flat and grey. Cleaning lifts the film away and lets the light back in, which is why a freshly cleaned diamond looks like it did the day you got it.
The same diamond, before and after cleaning: finger oils dull the surface (left), a clean restores its sparkle (right). Photo: Courtesy of GIA.
How often should you clean diamonds?
How often depends on how much the piece is worn. For a diamond you wear every day, like a stud or a pendant, a quick clean once a week keeps it consistently bright, with a proper soak about once a month. A piece worn only now and then needs cleaning only every few months, or whenever it starts to look dull. On top of your own cleaning, it is worth having a jeweller clean and check the piece once a year or so, which is also the moment to make sure the setting is sound.
What to avoid
What you keep away from your diamond jewellery matters as much as how you clean it, because the biggest risks are to the metal and the setting rather than the diamond itself.
Never use chlorine or bleach. Chlorine attacks the alloys in gold at a microscopic level, and over time it weakens the metal and the claws that hold a stone, which can eventually lead to a diamond working loose. For the same reason, take diamond pieces off before swimming in a chlorinated pool or sitting in a spa. Avoid abrasive cleaners too, including toothpaste and baking soda. A diamond is the hardest natural material and they will not scratch the stone, but they will scratch and dull the gold setting, so they do more harm than good. Steer clear of harsh household chemicals in general, and take rings and bracelets off before cleaning, gardening or the gym so they are not knocked or exposed.
Are ultrasonic cleaners safe for diamonds?
An ultrasonic cleaner, which uses sound waves in water to shake dirt loose, is often safe for a solid diamond set securely in solid gold or platinum, and it can clean beautifully. It comes with real cautions, though. The vibration can worsen a pre-existing fracture in a stone, or shake a worn or loose claw enough to put the diamond at risk, so if a setting is older or you are at all unsure, it is safer to stick to the warm soapy water method above or let a jeweller do it.
One more important point if your piece is not diamond alone. Many coloured gemstones must never go in an ultrasonic cleaner. Softer or more porous stones such as pearls, opals, emeralds and turquoise can crack, dull or be damaged by the vibration, and some by the warm water too. If a piece sets a diamond alongside a coloured stone, treat the whole piece as the more delicate stone and clean it gently by hand. We cover this properly in our guides to caring for gemstones and caring for pearls.
An Emerald before (L) and after (R) being cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner, dramatically changing its appearance. Photo: Courtesy of GIA.
Looking after the setting and storing your diamonds
A little care beyond cleaning keeps a diamond piece safe for a lifetime. Because a diamond is so hard, it can scratch other gemstones and even other diamonds, as well as the gold of your other pieces, so store each piece separately, in its own pouch or a lined box compartment, rather than loose together. It is also worth glancing at the setting when you clean: on a claw setting especially, a claw that looks bent or worn is worth having checked, since the claws are what keep the stone in place. Our guide to bezel vs claw settings explains why some settings need this more than others.
Soak in warm water with mild dish soap, brush gently, rinse and pat dry with a lint-free cloth, about once a month. Keep chlorine, bleach and abrasives away from the metal, take pieces off before the pool and heavy work, store them separately, and have a jeweller clean and check the setting once a year. That simple routine keeps a diamond looking its best for good.
Caring for a diamond is part of our wider guide to diamonds. The same gentle routine keeps every diamond piece bright, from studs and pendants to a tennis bracelet or tennis necklace.
