How to Keep Diamond and 18K Gold Jewellery Alive in the Gulf

A diamond is the hardest natural material there is, and that fact ruins more jewellery than it protects. Owners treat the stone as indestructible and the setting as part of the stone. The stone survives; the setting does not. Here is what actually damages fine jewellery, and what to do about it, drawn from the Gemological Institute of America’s care guidance.

What can hurt a diamond

Diamond sits at 10 on the Mohs scale and, in GIA’s words, only a diamond can scratch a diamond. Two consequences follow. First, a diamond stored loose with other pieces will scratch everything it touches, including your gold. Second, hardness is not toughness: any stone, including a diamond, will break if it is hit hard enough in the right place, and pointed shapes are the most exposed at their corners. A diamond that has worked loose in its setting will also, over time, wear through the prong that holds it.

What can hurt the gold

18K gold is 75 per cent gold and 25 per cent alloy, and it is the alloy that reacts. Chlorine bleach can pit or damage gold alloys, which is why the pool and the cleaning cupboard are the two places fine jewellery should never go. Hairspray, lotion and perfume leave a film that dulls both metal and stone; in a region where fragrance is applied generously, the rule is perfume first, jewellery last. White gold has one more habit: its rhodium plating wears, and the piece is re-plated to bring the white back.

How to clean it

Warm water, mild dish soap and a soft brush, then a rinse in a glass of water rather than under a running tap, so a loosened stone lands in the glass and not the drain. Dry with a lint-free cloth. Avoid powdered abrasive cleansers, and avoid home ultrasonic and steam cleaners, which can loosen stones in their settings; those machines belong with a jeweller who checks the piece before and after.

The six-month rule

GIA’s advice is to have jewellery checked every six months and cleaned frequently. For a piece worn daily, a diamond ring above all, that check is the difference between tightening a prong and replacing a stone. Store each piece separately, in its box or a padded case, never loose in a drawer.

Questions about a Wazna piece go to the atelier in Barsha South: contact us and we will tell you what it needs.