CRFTD

Caring for the piece

A diamond is the hardest material a person is likely to own. Everything holding it is not — which is where care actually applies.

A jeweller's bench with tweezers, loupe, ultrasonic bath and a ring under a microscope

The routine

  • 01

    Weekly

    Warm water, a drop of unperfumed soap, a soft goat-hair brush behind the stone where skin oil collects. Dry on linen, never paper.

  • 02

    Monthly

    Hold the piece to a window and rotate it. A stone that has dulled in one quadrant has a film behind it, not a fault in the cut.

  • 03

    Annually

    The salon inspects claw tension, seat wear and rhodium under 20× and issues a written report. Complimentary, for life.

Four things never to do

  • Ultrasonic at home

    Consumer units run uncalibrated and can loosen a 0.42 mm claw within minutes. The bench uses a controlled cycle at a known frequency.

  • Chlorine and bleach

    They do not touch the diamond, but they attack the alloy in platinum solder over time. Remove pieces before a pool.

  • Stacking loose in a drawer

    Diamond scratches diamond. Each piece leaves the salon with its own sleeve for a reason.

  • Steam from a kettle

    Rapid thermal change is harmless to the stone and unkind to a hand-tightened setting.

Something loose, dull or damaged? That is repair rather than care, and it is handled on the original bench.

Repair & restoration