General Care & Tips

Most natural gemstones/diamonds have an affinity for grease and dirt. To stop that natural tendency, we recommend:

• Remove your jewelry, especially rings, when applying lotion or hand sanitizer, washing your hands, taking a shower, or doing chores with household cleaners. Residues from lotion, soap, and so on are the main culprits for making rings and stones appear dull. A natural gemstone will not lose its color, but residues will cloud their appearance, making them look drained of their natural brightness.

• Absolutely avoid spraying perfume, hairspray, or any chemical cleaners directly onto the ring. Chemicals will slowly damage the stones and metal, causing uneven color spots and dullness on the surface.

• Remove before swimming in a chlorinated pool. Chlorine can damage gold, causing cracks. Once the metal is ruined, prongs holding the diamonds and gemstones may break, causing stones to fall out.

• Remove your jewelry, especially your rings, when doing any heavy duty physical work, such as weightlifting, exercise or gardening. A strong impact can damage the setting of your jewelry, causing diamonds and gemstones to fall out.

• When not wearing it, we recommend storing your jewelry a ring box to prevent scratches.

How to clean your ring at home:

Generally, we recommend to have your jewelry professionally cleaned once a year. Contact us or your local jeweller for cleaning and maintenance. 

You can also clean your ring at home by filling a bowl with lukewarm water and add a few drops of dishwashing liquid. We recommend eco-friendly options, as they’re extra gentle.

Soak your ring for about 15-30min. Then, gently clean your jewelry using a clean, soft bristle toothbrush. As some gemstones are soft, such as morganite and aquamarine, avoid scrubbing the stone directly.

Keep the ring in/above the bowl during the process—if a loose diamond or gemstone falls out, the bowl will catch it.

Once clean, leave jewelry to dry on a soft cloth.

Detergents like baking soda, vinegar, or general household cleaning products should be avoided as these can damage some gemstones and metals.

KNOW YOUR METAL:

Why Does My Gold Ring Turn My Finger Black?

Some might experience a dark mark around their finger after wearing especially rose gold rings.

The reason your finger gets discolored when wearing a gold ring is ‘metallic abrasion’. This is caused by makeup or other cosmetics on the skin. Cosmetics contain compounds that are harder than gold. So the makeup will rub off very tiny particles of the metal. Very small particles of metal appear black in color rather than metallic, so it looks like black dust. When this dust comes in contact with surfaces that are absorbent, such as your skin or clothing, this dust sticks and forms a black smudge. 

Another reason that your finger may discolor is corrosion of the metals in your ring. Remember “GOLD DOES NOT CORRODE, but the alloys that are mixed with the gold. (14K gold means the ring has 58% of pure gold and 42% of non-gold alloys.) The alloys that can corrode are silver and copper based, and they can form dark chemical compounds under moist conditions. 

When you sweat, fats and fatty acids are released which can cause corrosion on your gold ring. This problem is worse in semi-tropical locations and near the ocean where salt is in the air.

A third reason is a chlorine in your pool or spa. Chlorine will eat away at gold and the alloys. So if you are wearing your rings in the spa or pool corrosion is happening.

TIPS on how to prevent the discoloration:

Metal abrasion - Remove your rings and jewelry while applying cosmetics. Then wash your hands to remove any makeup residue before you put on your jewelry. 

Corrosion of metals - If you are in an area that is causing you to sweat, remove your jewelry often and use an absorbent powder (make sure it does NOT have abrasives in it) on your fingers or any part of the skin that has jewelry on it. 

Remove rings before using soap, cleaning compounds and detergents. Clean your rings often. 

If the situation still has not improved consider switching to a higher karat gold, such 18K. 18K gold is 75% pure with 25% comprised of alloys, while 14K has 42% alloys. Less alloy in your ring will help with the corrosion. Or go with platinum. Discoloration will probably never happen with a platinum ring. 

Another easy trick is to apply a coating to the inside of the ring such as nail polish. This acts as a barrier between the metal of the ring and your skin. 

For any questions or concerns regarding your ring please contact us at info@sapheena.com