POLISHING CAN HARM YOUR JEWELRY
TOO MUCH POLISHING CAN ACTUALLY HURT YOUR JEWELRY
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Some women go crazy if they see a little scratch on their engagement ring or other rings.
They want their rings to be absolutely perfect.
They say to me as they point to their ring…
“It’s not perfect.”
If it shows any signs of wear and tear, they’ll bring the ring in to have us buff it out. Presentation is everything…
What they don’t know is that polishing their ring so much is bad for it. It can make their rings look shiny and new; yes. But they’re actually damaging and harming their mountings, too.
Don’t do it!
Every time you polish your ring or any type of jewelry, the buffing wheel will take a micro layer of gold away.
Little by little (like erosion) the mounting will wear down and vanish. You’ll notice this in your prongs first. They’ll get shorter and round off.
The walls of the channel will wear down as well. What used to be lovely straight edges of the channel, now become jagged, thin like a razor, and uneven. Channels like this will expose your diamonds and make them loose, and when they become that loose, they’ll fall right out of the mounting.
Keep an eye on those worn out channels.
Polishing your jewelry too much (like once a month) will make not only your prongs weak, but it will uncover weaknesses in the gold itself. Things like pits and stress marks. Plus gemstones and diamonds will loosen by the friction of the polishing wheel and become unstable. It’s not good being obsessive.
The funny thing about all of this is that your ring will never, ever be perfect. No matter how hard you try, your ring will never stay perfectly polished. All it takes is picking something up or clinking your rings together and bingo… New scratches and dents appear like magic.
It’s impossible to keep them brand new.
It’s just a fact of life.
I normally advise getting your rings polished no more than twice a year (And right before the wedding. The rings have got to look awesome for that special day photograph). Polishing them a couple of times a year will keep your rings durable so they’ll last a lifetime. You can take them in for a cleaning and inspection more often, but buffing and polishing is not necessary.
Use a polish cloth instead
If you’re a polish freak and you simply can’t stand dents or scratches, try a polishing cloth. They sell special ones for different metals like gold and silver. Check them out. The polishing cloths for gold usually contain jeweler’s rouge, which will help remove any surface scrapes and dullness. They’ll make your jewelry sparkle and shine. The last thing you want to do is to prematurely break it down.
Polish your jewelry by hand:
Clean your diamonds and gemstones to remove any dirt and debris with an ultrasonic cleaner, or a steam cleaner. They’re safe, effective, and they won’t wear down your gold.
Your rings will love you!
Cheers! :)