If you would like to enjoy the true beauty of your gemstone for a longer period of time, cleaning and gemstone care is undoubtedly important. While some of colorful gems require little attention, many demand significantly more due to their natural characteristics.
We’ve put together a guide for you to understand the durability, toughness and stability of a gemstone and how to care for your precious gemstone studded jewelry.
Diamonds:
Diamond is the hardest of all gems and is ranked at 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness.
• Can survive minor tossing in a drawer or even bumps when set in a ring without scratching.
• Although durable, these gems attract a lot of dirt. Regular washing with soapy warm water is the best solution to maintaining the allure of these gems.
• Unaffected by the heat from a jewelers torch during resizing
Rubies, Sapphires, Pinks, Blues, Padparadschas, Yellow, Oranges, White, Greens and Star Sapphires:
With a hardness of 9, these gems have a good durability.
• Often used in rings as these gems can withstand daily wear and tear.
• Regular cleaning with warm soapy water helps clear away dirt and grime that could collect on the stone
• Can be altered by heat from a jewelers torch, affecting inclusions or even causing filled stones to bleed out
Emerald, Morganite, Aquamarine:
Although these gems have a hardness of 7.5-8, emeralds are less durable because of its clarity characteristics.
• Often used in jewelry, these gems can withstand a fair amount of wear and tear. Emeralds must be worn with caution because with vivid color comes internal clarity characteristics that give the stone less durability
• Must be cleaned with warm soapy water, to prevent dyed and treated gems from fading or included gems from the damage of the ultrasonic vibrations etc.
• Easily damaged by a jewelers torch, beryls must be kept far away from heat
Spinels, Garnets, Tourmalines, Alexandrites, Topaz and Amethyst:
Between 6.5 – 8.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness, these spectacular gems must be looked after when set in jewelry.
• Durable gems that tend to show nicks and scratches on the surface of the gem over time
• Topaz although hard, has low toughness. It can easily be split into two if hit in the wrong angle.
• Less exposure to heat is always better, as gems like Amethyst could become fainter when subjected to heat.
• Warm, soapy water is the best cleaning method for these gems
Pearl:
An organic gemstone that is formed by an oyster, these gems have a soft appealing luster.
• Can loose its shimmer or rainbow color when subjected to constant contact with rough materials like wool.
• Perfumes tend to dull the shine of a pearl and must never be used with pearl jewelry
• Easiest to clean pearls with warm soapy water when very unclean
• Pearl jewelry must never be worn in the swimming pool, as chlorine tends to erode the gem
Opals, Zircon, Apatite and Kunzite
These gems that have a low hardness must always be worn with caution. Often used in earrings and pendants to prevent the gems from loosing its shine. The gems vivid colors have led to a demand in rings as well that is followed by a carefully guided care routine.
• Delicate and susceptible to scratching thereby dulling the brilliance of the gem, zircons and apatites must be worn with care. These gems can also be damaged when worn with diamond studded jewelry
• Must be kept far away from heat. Opals tend to craze when subjected to heat as they loose their water content, whereas Kunzites can even spilt into two.
• Cleaning with warm soapy water works best with these gems.
• Must never be worn in chlorinated water in swimming pools because of chemical erosion of the gem.
All in all, it goes without saying; caring for your gemstone-studded jewelry is essential. Buying a gemstone that sparkles under the sun should also be supported by care and love. Keep your gemstones safe this summer and follow these techniques put together just for you from the JupiterGem team.
