Cleaning your antique & vintage engagement rings can be pretty easy, as long as you know what you’re doing. Cleaning it will make it last longer, so you can pass it down to the next generation if that’s what you plan on doing, and will also make it more attractive when you are wearing it. If you plan on buying vintage engagement rings and reselling them, then keeping them clean is an absolute must if you want to get your money’s worth. Here are some basic guidelines when cleaning your vintage engagement rings.
1. Avoid harmful chemicals. When choosing the product or products to clean your vintage rings you need to make sure that they do not contain alcohol, any acids or ammonia. If you buy a chemical product that is specifically designed to clean vintage rings make sure it is for the specific type of ring. For instance, you don’t want to buy or use sterling silver cleaning products on your gold vintage engagement ring.
If you would rather skip spending money on actual jewelry cleaning products then you can just use regular Windex to clean your jewelry. Simply spray it on a soft damp rag or cloth and gently clean the jewelry. Don’t spray it directly on the jewelry because some areas might get more cleaner and it could cause spots.
2. Check for loose stones. Before you start cleaning it, make sure everything is in place and not loose. If you start to clean it and realize that part of the ring is not on tight it might come off more or completely break it. If you do find it is loose, then you would need to work on getting it back in place securely before you try to finish cleaning it.
3. Make sure it’s dry. Make sure your vintage engagement ring is completely dry before you put it back on or store it away. Leaving the ring wet or even damp could cause possible rust. Any moisture that gets on the ring should be wiped off before it causes permament damage to it.
4. Make it shine. After you clean it, you might want to polish it to give it a nice shine or finish. You can use polishing products that are made just for vintage rings and other vintage jewelry. You can usually find these products online or in local jewelry shops.
5. When to clean, and how often? It depends on many variables. The main being how often the piece is being worn. Since we are talking about vintage engagement rings, it will most likely vary during the engagement and until the wedding where the ring would most likely be stored. So while you are wearing it, clean it often, usually about once a week. Once it’s stored, it is usually suggest to clean your jewelry between every 6 months and 1 year to maintain it’s beauty.