DID YOUR DIAMOND GET OLD?

I had a customer come into the jewelry store the other day.

She asked me about getting her diamond ring re-tipped. She said the prongs were flat and catching and she was afraid her diamond would fall out of the mounting.

So many red flags here:

1. That she would wait to get her ring inspected only after her prongs started snagging.
2. That she knew they were flat, but still waited until they were gone.
3. That she was so worried about losing her diamond, but not enough to take her ring off.

I take the ring from her and I not only noticed that the prongs were absolutely flat (you couldn’t even feel them), which makes them pretty useless (sort of like driving on bald tires), but her ring was so dirty and caked with grime and debris that her stone had no shine to it.

And before I could say anything, she raised her hand and said “Oh don’t worry about the diamond. It’s old doesn’t shine like it used to.” She smiles at me, “At one time it used to be so beautiful.”

I smile back, because there are a few things that I know:

1. Diamonds don’t age or grow old they stay brand new and young forever.
2. A good cleaning will make any diamond look brand new again.

I ask her if I could put her ring in the ultrasonic cleaner for a bit to clean it so I can inspect it for further damage.

She had no problem with that, who would. After all, it’s the only way to see what needs to be done (picture looking for dings or scratches on a car covered with mud. You can’t).

So into the cleaner it goes (for about 20 minutes), all the while I’m showing her new merchandise on the floor and talk her into buying a new diamond pendant.

Then I go get her ring out of the cleaner, scrub it good to remove all the crud, and take it back to show her.

She’s floored it looks so brand new again

New like the day she bought it. She lets out an audible gasp. You can see the excitement in her eyes… it’s been years.

You see, diamonds really never look old, antiqued, tarnished, or lose their shine. Ever. Except when they get dirty with oils, soaps, lotions, and meatloaf. It dulls the facets and keeps light from shining and sparkling and dancing around.

So if you want your diamond to bling like crazy, then clean it. Clean it often. At least once a week.

I mean, you do wear it every single day, day in and day out. It gets dirty pretty quickly. So clean the diamonds and make sure you clean underneath the stones where it gets dirtiest the most. It will always look incredible and new forever and ever.

I took her ring in for a new head versus prongs (which is the only way to repair a ring with prongs so flat). And she was good to go… With her new pendant, of course. Which yes, she’ll now bring in at least twice a year for us to clean and inspect it. Because that will not only keep her diamonds happy and bright, but it will also prolong the life of her jewelry and prongs.

So I ask you, when was the last time you had your diamond inspected? I suspect it’s been a while. So make it a point to stop in at your local jewelry store soon and have them look at your ring. Just in case.

Or, you could buy the right tools and inspect it yourself…

Jewelry Inspection Supplies:

• Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner
• 10x Jewelers Loupe
• Polishing Cloth
• Jewelry Steam Cleaner

Cheers! :)