How to clean and care for a ring at home

How to clean a gold ring

This covers all gold colours — the Ring Care section doesn't split yellow, white and rose into separate routines:

1. Soak the ring in warm water with mild dish soap for 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Scrub gently with a soft-bristle toothbrush, especially around the setting.
3. Rinse thoroughly.
4. Dry with a lint-free cloth.

Chlorine and bleach weaken gold alloys, so leave rings off before the hot tub or the pool. Skip abrasive cleaners and toothpaste too — toothpaste is often recommended online, but it is abrasive and the app steers away from it. Monthly at-home cleaning, a professional clean every 6 months, and check the prongs once a year.

How to clean a diamond ring at home

Same warm soapy soak, same gentle brushing, but this guide covers diamonds and other hard stones specifically. Ultrasonic cleaners are fine for most diamonds, and steam cleaning works too, despite warnings against both that circulate online.

• Clean on a schedule — skin oils dull the sparkle faster than you'd think.
• Push the stone gently once a month; it shouldn't budge at all.
• Store diamonds face-up and alone, since a diamond scratches everything else in the box.
• Treated diamonds are the exception: handle those more carefully.

A quick clean weekly, a deeper soak monthly, a professional look once a year — that's the rhythm the app lays out.

Engagement ring care tips for every day

The free Daily Wear Tips guide isn't about cleaning at all — it's habits, the kind that save you from needing a repair later:

• Put rings on last, after cosmetics, perfume and sunscreen.
• Take them off before exercise, cooking and cleaning.
• Keep a ring dish at home and use it every night.
• Never leave a ring on the edge of a sink.
• Avoid wearing rings in the sea: cold water shrinks fingers and a ring can slip off.
• Do not sleep in rings with raised settings, which can catch on sheets.
• Have a loose stone fixed straight away, and keep valuable rings insured with an up-to-date appraisal.

When not to use an ultrasonic cleaner

Diamonds can take an ultrasonic bath; a lot of stones can't. Skip it for emerald, opal, pearl, tanzanite, turquoise, moonstone, peridot and zircon. Pearl and turquoise go further still — no chemicals at all, and turquoise wants nothing but a dry, soft cloth.

Using the care guides in the app

1. Open Ring Care from the home screen.
2. Choose Metals, Gemstones or General Tips at the top.
3. Tap a guide to expand its cleaning method, do and don't lists, how often, and when to see a professional.
4. For a specific stone, open Gemstones and read that stone's Care & Cleaning section.

Three of the nine care guides are free: gold, diamonds and hard stones, and daily wear. The other six — platinum, sterling silver, titanium, tungsten carbide, coloured gemstones, storage and travel — need Premium.

Questions and answers

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