How to Care for Lab Grown Diamond and Moissanite Jewellery

Fine jewellery does not need much. It needs the right small things done regularly, and a few specific things avoided entirely.

Most stones that get lost are not lost to accidents. They are lost to a prong that had been slowly wearing for two years while nobody looked at it.

The cleaning routine

Every week or two, five minutes:

1. Warm water in a bowl — warm, not hot — with a few drops of ordinary washing-up liquid.
2. Soak the piece for 15 to 20 minutes. This does most of the work.
3. Brush gently with a soft toothbrush, paying attention to underneath the stone. That is where the film builds up, and it is the reason a ring stops sparkling.
4. Rinse in clean warm water. If you are doing this over a sink, put the plug in first.
5. Dry with a lint-free cloth. Not paper towel, which scratches metal and leaves fibres.

That is the whole method. It works for diamonds, moissanite, gold and platinum.

Why it stops sparkling

Diamond and moissanite are both lipophilic — they attract grease. Hand cream, soap residue, cooking oils and skin oils build a thin film on the pavilion that blocks light from entering and returning. The stone has not changed. It is simply dirty, and it will look brand new after twenty minutes in soapy water.

What to avoid

• Chlorine and bleach. The most damaging thing in an ordinary home. Chlorine attacks the alloys in gold, weakening the metal and pitting it over time. Prongs give way. Take rings off before swimming pools, hot tubs and bathroom cleaning.
• Ultrasonic cleaners, unless you know the stone. Fine for a solid diamond in a robust setting. Genuinely risky for anything with existing inclusions near the surface, for treated or fracture-filled stones, and for softer coloured stones like emerald and opal. If in doubt, don't.
• Toothpaste. It is an abrasive. It will scratch gold and dull polished metal.
• Hairspray, perfume and sunscreen. They leave a persistent film. Jewellery on last, after everything else.
• Storing pieces loose together. A diamond will scratch every other stone in the box, including other diamonds. Separate pouches or a lined box with compartments.

When to take it off

Not out of fragility — out of arithmetic. Every removal is a risk avoided.

• The gym. Weights bend bands out of round faster than anything else, and a bent shank loosens stones.
• Swimming. Chlorine, plus cold water shrinking fingers, plus a drain.
• Cleaning. Bleach and abrasives.
• Gardening and DIY. Impact and grit.
• Applying hand cream or sunscreen.
• Sleeping — optional, but it reduces snagging and bending, particularly for high settings.

One habit worth building: always put it in the same place. Most rings that go missing at home were set down somewhere unusual.

The annual check

Once a year, have a jeweller inspect the settings. It takes minutes and it is the single highest-value thing on this page.

They will check prong tips for wear, look for movement in the stone, examine the shank for thinning, and check pavé beads. A prong caught early is a small repair. A prong caught late is a replacement stone.

Between visits, do the tap test yourself: hold the ring next to your ear and tap it gently. A faint rattle means a loose stone. Stop wearing it and get it looked at.

Style-specific notes

Pavé and halo settings

Many small stones, many small settings. Brush gently — vigorous scrubbing can dislodge a bead. Check them visually every few months; a missing stone is much cheaper to replace than to have the whole row reset.

Emerald and asscher cuts

Large open tables show every fingerprint and film. They need cleaning more often than a brilliant cut to look their best — the same dirt that a brilliant cut hides in its facets is plainly visible through a step cut.

Rose cuts and antique cuts

Often set low with open backs, which lets dirt collect underneath. Pay attention to the reverse when cleaning.

White gold

White gold is rhodium plated to give it its bright white finish. That plating wears, typically over two to four years, and the warmer gold beneath begins to show — most noticeably on the underside of the band. Replating is routine and inexpensive. It is maintenance, not a fault.

Platinum

Platinum does not lose metal when scratched; it displaces it, developing a soft grey patina of fine lines. Many people prefer this over time. If you want the original bright finish back, a polish restores it.

Moissanite

Treat it exactly as you would a diamond. At 9.25 on the Mohs scale it is very hard, and the same soapy-water routine applies. It attracts oils in the same way, so it needs cleaning just as often to keep its fire.

Insurance and paperwork

Keep the certificate somewhere safe and photograph it. Most home contents policies cap individual item cover well below the value of an engagement ring, so a separate valuation and a specified-item listing is usually needed.

Photograph the piece itself too, from several angles. It makes any future claim far simpler.

In one line

Soak it in warm soapy water every couple of weeks, take it off for chlorine and the gym, and have the settings checked once a year. Do those three things and your jewellery will outlast you.

Questions about a specific piece? Get in touch — or read our jewellery care guide for more.