Emeralds are undoubtedly the most popular precious gemstones for jewelry. Their vibrant color symbolizes love, romance, spring, and hope. Emeralds can appear exquisite for longer, only if you take proper care.
If you’re looking to know how to clean emerald rings, look no further than this detailed guide since it explores the best practices and provides solutions to some of the frequently asked questions.
Key Takeaways
- Make sure the water is at room temperature or lukewarm when cleaning emeralds.
- Never use a steamer or hot water to clean emerald rings since fracture fillings can dry and remove the oil from the surface.
- The Mohs scale of mineral hardness categorizes emeralds between 7.5 and 8, meaning they cannot break easily.
- Emeralds are pretty hard, meaning they don’t scratch easily.
How to Clean Emerald Ring
No matter your emerald’s quality, it’s an investment that’s meant to last for thousands of years. Even the emerald rings that Cleopatra wore in approximately 40 BC are still in excellent condition after many centuries. However, keeping your emerald jewelry looking stunning for hundreds of years to come requires excellent handling and proper care.
Several important tips can help you maintain the shine and allure of your emerald jewelry so that you can pass on your investment and inheritance from one generation to another while enjoying its beauty.
Whether you want your emerald ring to be a special occasion or daily wear, knowing how to clean it at home can help keep it looking new for centuries. Are you ready to learn how to take care of your emerald ring? Keep reading.
What’s an Emerald?
Emerald is the mineral beryl’s green variety and is the most popular and valuable green gemstone. Emeralds come in different colors, including dark, deep, and light green.
Yellowish gemstones are considered less valued, while darkest greens with hints of blue are the most valued and rarest.
Do You Understand Your Emerald Ring?
Unlike many other precious gemstones, emeralds are durable and typically have inclusions since they’re type III stones. They have a long lifespan and rank between 7.5 and 8 out of 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness.
Natural inclusions are distinctive characteristics that make each of the emerald pieces mined unique, as they act as a fingerprint. They help experts at the gemological institute determine natural earth-mined gemstones from artificial or fake ones.
Natural inclusions undergo oil treatment to enhance their clarity. As a result of emeralds’ inclusions and treatments, you should never clean your jewelry with hot water, steam, or any solution that has petroleum distillates.
Even if the solution is a highly recommended jewelry cleaner, you should avoid it and only stick to the best diamond jewelry cleaning practices. Most of these solutions aren’t compatible with the resin/oil emeralds’ treatments, meaning they can easily remove or dissolve the treatment.
How to Clean Emeralds
A recommended way to clean emerald jewelry is to use a soft cloth soaked in warm, soapy water. Avoid harsh detergents, and don’t soak emeralds in soapy water since doing so can dilute or remove oils as well as any treatment from the gemstone. You should also avoid solvents like paint thinner, acetone, and alcohol since they damage emeralds.
How to Clean Emerald Jewelry: Step-by-Step Home Cleaning
Emeralds are popular alternatives to diamonds, as they are usually used on rings. Whether used as accents or center stones, they need proper care if you want them to appear brand new. Here are the steps you need to clean your emerald ring.
Wipe With a Warm Soapy Cloth
Prior to washing your emerald jewelry, you need to remove any accumulated dirt or oil first. And the only effective way to do that is to use a warm soapy cloth.
Fill a Small Container With Warm Water and Soap
Be sure to fill your small container with room temperature or lukewarm water. Higher temperatures can damage emeralds, so try as much as possible to avoid them. Sprinkle the warm water with a few drops of mild soap and soak the emerald jewelry for approximately 60 seconds.
Clean your Emerald Ring With a Soft Toothbrush
Use a soft toothbrush or jewelry brush to clean your emerald’s surface, reaching fractures. While using the soft-bristled toothbrush, you should keep in mind the hard-to-reach areas of the emerald jewelry.
You shouldn’t press the soft-bristled toothbrush too hard to avoid damaging the stone or loosening it. Experts recommend gentle scrubbing as one of the best cleaning methods or practices.
Rinse the Soft Soap
After cleaning your stone, be sure to rinse out the soap by placing it under running water. As the water runs on your stone, gently remove the soap solution residue. It is advisable to use sink stoppers since emerald bands can easily slip out of your hands, leading to accidental damage.
Air Dry the Ring
The last step is to dry the emerald jewelry, and you have two options. You can either dry it using a soft microfiber cloth or air dry it.
Dynamics of Gemstone Durability: Hardness and Toughness
Gemstones possess an irresistible beauty, and evaluating their durability requires considering hardness and toughness. Below, we’ll delve into the significance of these factors and how they impact gemstone longevity.
- Unveiling the Mohs Scale: The Mohs scale ranks minerals based on their scratch resistance. However, the scale’s intervals are not evenly spaced, leading to surprising variations in hardness.
- The Deceptive Nature of the Mohs Scale: Diamond, just one number away from corundum, is significantly tougher. This highlights the non-linear nature of the scale and the need to consider more than just a single number.
- The Delicate Balance of Emerald: Emerald ranks 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, making it relatively hard. However, its fair to good toughness means it requires extra care when worn.
- Embracing the Timelessness of Emeralds: Despite the need for additional care, emeralds remain highly sought-after gems. With proper maintenance, they can endure for generations.
How to Care for Emerald Jewelry
Treatments
Carelessness or harsh cleaning can make emeralds lose their beauty since they distort the treatments. Most emeralds feature fracture fillings that improve their beauty. They’re treated to fill minor fractures and cracks on the emerald’s surface. Filled fractures make it easy to clean the emerald ring.
Inclusions and Setting Styles
Some stones feature inclusions, so you need to be mindful when cleaning and maintaining them. If you’re careful, you’ll not exacerbate the inclusions, which could result in massive damage.
Aside from inclusions, the ring setting style is another important factor affecting the cleaning process. While settings like open prong are easier to clean, closed bezel or channel make the process challenging.
Gemstones and Metals
If other gemstones are part of your emerald ring, including diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, you need to take great care to ensure all treatments are safe for each section of the ring.
After knowing all the aspects and angles of your gemstone band, you’ll be able to offer the best care to allow it to remain beautiful for decades to come. Also, understanding your ring’s metal type or the gold carat value will help ensure both maintenance and cleaning are done appropriately to keep the jewelry looking young and fresh.
Things Not to Do To Your Emerald Jewelry
It’s equally important to know the things to avoid in order to keep your gemstone in good condition, and here is a list of these things:
Ultrasonic Cleaners and Heat
Don’t use an ultrasonic cleaner with emerald jewelry pieces or stones since it can lead to inclusions and fractures over time. Apart from ultrasonic devices and the ultrasonic vibrations that cause fractures and inclusions, you should avoid hot water, high heat, and steam cleaners.
Brushes and Harsh Chemicals
Don’t use harsh chemicals or solvents like bleach, paint thinner, rubbing alcohol, and acetone to clean your emerald ring. Harsh chemicals can easily discolor metal finishes or filled fractures. And when it comes to brushes, you should avoid stiff bristles, pins, and picks to clean an emerald stone, or sapphire, ruby and aquamarine rings.
How to Keep Your Emerald Jewelry in Good Condition
There’s more to taking care of an emerald engagement ring than only cleaning it. In order to take good care of this breathtakingly beautiful jewelry piece, you need to:
- List your ring among valuable assets on homeowners or rental insurance so that it can be covered in case of catastrophic damage or theft.
- Avoid wearing the ring when doing activities like washing dishes, exercising, playing, gardening, or baking.
- Avoid storing your emerald jewelry in a box full of other gemstones; instead, keep it in its original box or a separate section of your jewelry container. Evenly spaced gemstones will not scratch since they don’t come into contact with each other.
- Visit your professional jeweler regularly to help you clean your jewelry and solve any issues like filling fresh fractures and inclusions. A commercial jewelry cleaner will provide you with all these factors.
Why Should You Choose Emerald Jewelry?
Emerald jewelry is a beautiful expression of the romance a couple shares as well as the commitment they’ve made to each other throughout their love journey. An emerald ring is easy to clean and take care of. By keeping your precious jewelry in good condition, you can keep your glittering promise looking beautiful for many decades to come.
Are Emeralds Too Soft for Engagement Rings?
While emeralds are considered “soft” gemstones and require careful maintenance, they can still be used in engagement rings with proper care. With a hardness rating of 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale, emeralds can withstand everyday wear when chosen carefully. Opt for high-quality emeralds with good clarity and minimal inclusions and consider protective settings like bezel or halo settings. Regular gentle cleaning and professional inspections will help maintain the beauty of your emerald engagement ring for years to come.
FAQs on Cleaning Emerald Ring
Is Emerald a Durable Gem?
Yes, emeralds are indeed durable gems. Ranking 7.5 to 8 on the Mohs scale and displaying fair to good toughness, emeralds are relatively resilient. While they are among the harder gemstones, they can still be susceptible to chipping or cracking without proper care.
Do Emeralds Need to be oiled?
Yes, emeralds do need to be oiled. This is because most emeralds have inclusions, fissures, and small cracks on their surfaces. To enhance their clarity and appearance, they are treated with oil. Cedarwood oil is commonly used for this purpose, as it is effective in reducing the visibility of these imperfections. It’s worth noting that only a tiny amount of oil is required, and using cedarwood oil is a more cost-effective option.
Can You Wear an Emerald Ring Every Day?
Indeed, you can confidently wear an emerald ring on a daily basis. Despite their delicate appearance, emeralds are durable gems that can withstand everyday wear. Their toughness allows them to be a suitable choice for frequent wear without the fear of rapid deterioration.
Can I Get My Emerald Ring Wet?
You can get your emerald ring wet since room temperature or lukewarm water doesn’t affect it in any way. However, avoid soaking it in water for a long time since it can damage its structure and dull the crystal appearance.
Final Thoughts on How to Clean Emerald Ring at Home
However, emerald rings are a valuable and cherished possession that requires proper care and maintenance. With the steps outlined in this guide, you can keep your emerald ring looking vibrant and timeless for years to come. Remember to be gentle when cleaning, avoid harsh chemicals, and store your ring in a safe place. By following these tips and taking good care of your emerald ring, you can enjoy its beauty and significance for years to come.
