As COVID-19 continues, health experts across the globe are steadily reminding you to do one thing: wash your hands. As jewelers, we’d like to recommend an additional step: clean your ring separately—because washing your hands with your jewelry on isn’t enough.
Your ring goes everywhere you do, coming into contact with all the things you touch. That means a lot of gunk, grime, and germs can get lodged in the setting, beneath your stones, and trapped against your skin.
So let’s talk about how to clean your ring so that you’ll be better protected against germs and so that your ring will sparkle and shine like it should.
Do not add in any additional cleaners (such as bleach, chlorine, and acetone). The harsh chemicals present in these products can damage your ring. Trust us—soap and water alone are often enough to get the job done!
There are many types of specialty jewelry cleaners out there, and they can vary in chemical composition. If you prefer to buy one of these premade solutions, be sure to read the product’s description and any usage instructions.
For example, some jewelry cleaners are specially made for silver only. Other cleaners are more all-purpose yet aren’t safe around certain gemstones. When in doubt, rely on soap and water because there is no going back after a gemstone has been damaged by using the wrong type of chemical cleaner
While this method is not a replacement for a thorough cleaning, wiping down your ring with rubbing alcohol and a cotton pad (no soaking!) can help kill some lingering germs on your jewelry. Consider this a last resort for killing strong bacteria and viruses, not a method you need to or should do with regularity putting alcohol on certain gemstones (like natural opals) will leave you devastated when the color completely changes, often permanently so please be careful when using alcohol.
If you’d like to know more about the effects of hand sanitizer on your jewelry, we have a whole entry devoted to that here.
If you have a question about cleaning your ring, we’d love to help. Just send an email to hello@valeriemadison.com, and we’ll get in touch shortly.