How To Clean Sapphire Jewelry

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They say diamonds are a girl's best friend, but if you ask us, there's nothing like a little color. This is why sapphires are at the top of our list. Unfortunately, everyday wear can make even the most beautiful sapphire ring look a little bit dingy. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when it comes to cleaning it yourself, but we have a simple solution for you that involves items you already have in your home. Read on to find out a safe, simple, and economical way to clean your sapphire ring.

Follow the steps below, and your sapphire ring will look like new again.

Fill a small bowl with warm water.
Add a small amount of gentle soap to the water and mix.
Soak your ring in the cleaning solution.
Using a clean, soft bristle toothbrush, gently scrub the ring.
Rinse the ring well under warm water and gently dry with a soft cotton cloth.

Now that you have the basic steps for cleaning your sapphire ring, we will go into a little more detail below.

A beautiful ring with Sapphire and diamonds, How To Clean A Sapphire Ring [A Complete Guide]

Cleaning a Sapphire Ring

1. Fill a small bowl with warm water

Gemstones can be sensitive to extreme temperatures. Because of this, it is important to use water that is warm but not too hot. Water that is very hot or even really cold can damage a gemstone.In addition to the temperature, make sure that the bowl is deep enough that the ring can be fully immersed.

A silver ring being cleaned using a toothbrush and soapy water

2. Add a small amount of gentle soap to the water and mix

As a simple at-home recipe, you can mix a gentle dish soap, such as Dawn, with warm water and use it to soak your sapphire ring or necklace in. It is important to use a very mild soap because some cleaners contain items that can damage your jewelry. It might seem like your sensitive face cleanser would be a good option for this, but since many face cleansers contain some exfoliators, they can potentially scratch your gems or cause discoloration.

3. Soak your ring in the cleaning solution

Since jewelry is delicate, the first step should always be soaking it for 15 to 20 minutes. You can gently move the bowl to agitate the water once or twice during this time. Depending on how dirty your jewelry is, this may be enough to get your sapphire ring back to its much-loved brilliance. If you prefer to use a professional product, there are ready-made solutions you can purchase. One of these, Brilliant Jewelry Cleaner, contains a basket for soaking and a brush for any needed gentle scrubbing.

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4. Using a clean, soft bristle toothbrush, Gently scrub the ring

If it's been a long time since your ring has been cleaned or it's been exposed to dirt and grime, you may need to do more than simply soaking it to get it clean. In this case, you should use a clean and preferably new, soft bristle toothbrush to gently scrub the dirt and grime out of the nooks on your ring. Be careful not to damage anything or loosen the prongs that hold your stone in place.

Woman's Hands Cleaning Diamond Ring With Toothbrush and Soap

5. Rinse the ring well under warm water and gently dry with a soft cotton cloth

After rinsing your ring carefully, use a soft cotton cloth to dry your jewelry thoroughly. It is important not to wear your ring again until it has had the chance to dry completely. You can also you this soft cloth to polish your jewelry a bit to make your sapphire really shine. As you are drying your ring, check for loose settings to make sure your sapphire is secure.

Woman hands cleaning and polishing golden jewelry at home.

More on how to care for your sapphires

In addition to the standard blue sapphire, there are also other types of this fascinating gem. Different types of sapphires can require special care. Keep reading to learn more about how to care for your sapphire jewelry and how to avoid damaging the gemstones.

Can you clean sapphires with vinegar?

Sapphires and other precious stones can be cleaned with vinegar. The process is almost identical to the one described above, but with white vinegar instead of water with dish soap. The ring should soak in white vinegar for 10 to 15 minutes and then be scrubbed gently with a clean and new soft bristle toothbrush. Once you have removed all the dirt, you rinse the ring with water and polish it with a soft cotton cloth.

How to clean a star sapphire ring?

A Star Sapphire is a rare type of sapphire that displays an asterism. In laymen's terms, this means that when a star sapphire is viewed from above, a star will appear to float across the surface of the stone. While most sapphires can be cleaned in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, as mentioned above, a star sapphire ring is an exception to this rule since the ultrasonic waves can cause damage to the asterism in a star sapphire. In this case, simple is best. Use a very mild soap and lukewarm water. Remember, extreme temperatures can inadvertently damage gemstones.

How do you clean yellow sapphire?

Yellow sapphires are said to bring wisdom and prosperity, so you obviously want to take good care of them. Like blue sapphires, you can also clean yellow sapphire jewelry with warm water and a gentle detergent. Because of its lighter color, even something as simple as hairspray or other beauty products can dull your stone and leave it looking less than it's best.

If this happens, you should soak and clean it as mentioned above and then polish it with a jewelry cloth to make sure you have removed any residue hiding the sapphire's brilliance.

Beautiful golden ring with sapphire and small cubic zirconias isolated on white background

How do you make sapphire shiny?

One of the best ways to keep your sapphire shiny is to avoid items that will coat it and make it appear dull. You should always remove your sapphire ring before you put any type of lotion on. It may not seem like a big deal, but over time the lotion will begin to coat the surface of your stone and leave it looking dull.

To combat this, soak your jewelry in warm water with a gentle detergent. Once the jewelry is dry, you should polish the sapphire gently until it shines. Always make sure your sapphire jewelry is completely dry before you wear it again.

Jewelry, Sapphire, Blue

What can damage a sapphire?

Sapphires are an extremely strong stone; second only to diamonds, they are a 9 on the Mohs scale, which is used to note the hardness and durability of minerals such as gemstones. However, they are not invincible, and even seemingly harmless household items, like lemon juice, can cause scarring on the stone's surface due to its acidity.

You should also avoid using toothpaste to clean your jewelry because it sits at 3 to 4 on the Mohs scale and can scratch or otherwise damage your gemstones. In addition, swimming with your jewelry on can expose it to chlorine and other harsh chemicals used in pool care which can dull the stone's shine or damage its surface. Wearing your jewelry at the beach is also a bad idea because the sand can dull and potentially scratch the surface of your sapphire.

How to take care of a sapphire ring

While the stone in a sapphire ring is extremely hard and thus resistant to much damage, the gold or other metal used in the ring is likely much softer. When cleaning a ring, it is important to care for the stone, you should always make sure that any method you may use for cleaning is safe for the item's softest or most delicate part.

Because of this, you should remove a sapphire ring before cleaning your house since you could damage your ring in the process. Plus, the chemicals in cleaning products can cause a stone to lose its luster and also potentially damage the gold, silver, or platinum the ring is made from.

Final notes on sapphire rings

Diamond cut styles with names: radiant, heart, princess, cushion, asscher, round, pear, emerald, oval, marquise

In conclusion, since sapphires are quite strong, in addition to being beautiful stones, you can wear them during your day-to-day life without having to constantly worry about them being damaged. After all, beautiful jewelry is meant to be enjoyed, not hidden away out of fear it might be damaged.

Still, as with anything else, you should exercise some caution and common sense. Remove your jewelry before applying lotion or hair care products, take your rings off before doing heavy work, and never wear them when you are working with any kind of household chemicals. Remember these simple things, and you will be able to keep your sapphire ring beautiful for a long time to come.

To learn more about sapphires as engagement jewelry, read Sapphires Vs. Diamonds For Engagement Ring – Which To Choose?

If sapphires aren't your thing and you want to learn more about different gemstones that make good rings, check out this article that discusses the 15 Types Of Stones For Rings.