By ERIN TURNER

From Thanksgiving all the way through Valentines’ Day, a lot of couples will become engaged to be married.  With this happy occasion comes the excitement of wearing new jewelry.  But quickly those new rings lose their shine and luster. Our rings get filthy from working around the farm, putting lotion on our hands, cooking and baking.  Here is a quick, easy and frugal way to clean diamond rings at home!

The saleswoman at the jewelry store where we bought our wedding rings shared this method of cleaning our rings and to this day we swear by it.  We do try to take our rings to a licensed jeweler once a year to have the settings checked and tightened followed by an ultrasonic polish/clean.  This is one of those tasks which is smart to put on your yearly to-do list!  For me, January is a great time to get those kind of chores taken care of!

Usually jewelers will clean and check your rings for free so it is highly recommended to do this.  Even if it cost a nominal fee, it would be worth it to ensure the diamonds are intact because replacing a diamond or two is not cheap! If you take your ring in yearly, then in between these professional cleanings, try this homemade method. We love the results!

Lots of stores sell commercial cleaner and they work just fine but they are usually around $10-12 a jar.  You can use it for a while but after some time, you’ll want to replace that jar of liquid filled with dirt and grime from your ring.  This homemade method is literally pennies to make and it uses items you normally have in your house.  This method is NOT recommended for pearls or other softer stones.

Here are the steps:

• Fill one glass bowl with ¼ cup ammonia and 1 cup hot water. Let rings sit in this solution for 15 minutes.  This loosens the dirt and oils.
• While the rings soaks, fill another bowl with a drop or two of dish soap (I always prefer Dawn) and fill with hot water.
• Remove ring from the ammonia solution and place it in the soapy solution. Swish it around.  Then taking a soft bristly toothbrush carefully begin to brush the sides, the top and the bottom of the diamond setting.  Be sure to get into all the little crevices.  I keep dipping the brush into the soapy solution as I brush the ring.
• Finally, once I am sure I loosened all the dirt from all the little nooks and crannies, I swish it around in a final bowl of hot water to rinse all the soap off. Just dip and swish 4-5 times.  You could also plugged your sink drain and rinse it under the faucet…but I always fear dropping it down the drain.
• Finally with a lint-free cloth (I like those microfiber dusting cloths from the Dollar store) dry your ring and give it a gentle buff which brings out the twinkle and shine.

This is a super easy and frugal method of cleaning your ring on a regular basis.  So, whether you are recently engaged and have a new ring to show off or you are celebrating multiple decades of wedded bliss, use this method to make your ring sparkle like it did on the day of your engagement.

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Erin Eisenman-Turner is proud to be a native Missoulian. Along with her husband and three sons, they raise chickens, pigs, rabbits, and vegetables at Turner Family Farms in the Orchard Homes area. When the farm chores are done, the coupons clipped, and the blog written, you can find Erin exploring Montana, collecting antiques, and trying to maintain a well-run, happy, and organized home for her family.  Read more of Erin’s blogs about homesteading, farming, homemaking and other fun things at TurnerFarmLiving.com

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