Since I tend to lose everything, I don't take my engagement ring off (except at night) so it tends to get really dirty. Rather than head to the jewelry store or buy expensive jewelry cleaner, I decided to try to clean it myself.
I placed my diamond ring in the bottom of a small ramekin and added enough distilled white vinegar to completely cover it. I let it soak for about 30 minutes and then gently cleaned it with a soft brush. Be very careful when using the brush since you definitely don't want to damage the prongs holding the diamond on your ring.
After the soak and brushing, all the gunk was off the diamond, and it looks like new again!
Should I Use Vinegar to Clean Softer Gems?
No! I used vinegar to clean my diamond and gold ring. You'll want to be very careful about cleaning softer gems in natural cleaners, especially pearls. Be sure to do some research for your type of gem. If you're in doubt, you can clean your jewelry in a mixture of warm water (not boiling) and mild soap (like castile soap).
Does Vinegar Hurt Gold?
Since vinegar is an acid, you may wonder if it will hurt the gold in your jewelry. Real gold is a resistant metal and will not react to acetic acid (vinegar). However, non-gold does corrode easily, so be sure that your jewelry is real gold. In fact, vinegar is used to test for fake gold by its reaction to vinegar.
If you prefer to use a commercial jewelry cleaner, this one works well.
Check out additional Easy DIY Cleaning tips or follow my Cleaning board on Pinterest!
Donna
Don't use vinegar!! Use hot/warm water and your dish soap(Dawn) or a mild hand soap. Let the ring soak in the warm mixture and use a very soft toothbrush to gently brush around the stone and under the setting. You can check the claws and stones at this time also. If the claws seem to catch stuff or if the stone moves in any way take it to your jeweller ASAP ! I worked in retail jewellery for years and seen a lot of DIY cleaners do damage to beautiful jewellery.
SD
Jewellery can be cleaned nicely using ordinary toothpaste and an old toothbrush followed by a thorough wash in clean water.