"Peter W. Rowe" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 17 Oct 2010 19:07:40 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Nelly"
wrote:


Last time I bought a pre-owned ring from non-jeweler I ran it through the
dishwasher. For that matter, that's how I regularly clean one ring which has
no good access to the pavilion facets, and doesn't respond well to my
ultrasonic cleaner. Strategically clamped & placed over jet holes (making
sure shank clears the washer arm), voila. Sparkly clean every time. And
safe to eat off too.

I do this probably at least once a week to this ring. The setting is secure,
the stones (diamond in this case) are nothing someone would ever balk at
putting in any other type of cleaner. Opinions?

First thought.

Geez, I wish my new dishwasher worked that well. Just bought a portable
GE dishwasher from Home Depot. It's a piece of junk. They sent a repair guy
to take a look, which he did, and pronounced it working fine (just listened
to it run, opened the door to see the wash arms moving, and that was enough for
him...) I'm trying to get Home Depot to take it back, but you wouldn't believe
the hassles. So much for their happy customer claims in their so called return
policy.. The darn thing won't even get a load of dishes clean when I pretty
much prewash them... And I'm certain it wouldn't get even a bit of lotion off
a ring's shank. So I'm jealous...

Having once had to put up with a totally lame (new) dishwasher, I'm amazed
any manufacturer would still produce something that's gotten so many
complaints.

But anyway. That's off topic, but I couldn't resist. And I'm the
moderator,
so...

But for your situation, the main things that occur to me are that some
dishwashing detergents contain what amounts to a bit of bleach (sodium
hypochlorite) or similar chlorine compounds. If your's does, this is very
bad for gold alloys, especially white gold ones. It can cause stress cracking
that can lead to prongs breaking off and stones being lost. This same
chemistry is why you're not supposed to put sterling silver in the dishwasher. The
detergents can be too harsh. Not all of them, but some, and it's hard to
know whether your's does or not.

Sounds like the thinness of the metal in prongs puts them at particular
risk. So now I have to ask about long term effects of chlorine in tapwater.
My mother's water, for instance, makes her kitchen smell like a swimming
pool after the faucet's been turned on. (And I wouldn't wear gold in a pool,
either.)
Would a new white gold ring, with rhodium layer intact be harmed? (The
question's purely academic since I don't own any white gold, plated or
otherwise.)

Second, while you say the settings are secure, it's a risk. If a stone
falls out in your ultrasonic cleaner, it stays in the tank and you can find it.
If it falls out in your dishwasher, I suspect it would remain in the innards of
the machine's filter, never likely to be seen again without major disassembly
of the machine. Are you proficient enough as a goldsmith or jeweler to be
certain the stones are safe? Even if prongs look OK, are you sure? It can be
deceptive sometimes.

You're right of course. And I'm no jeweler but I do take the ring in about
every 3 months to have prongs checked & retightened. And sooner if anything
starts getting the least bit "catchy."

And a comment, do you actually have an ultrasonic cleaner, or is it just
one of the "sonic" ones that merely vibrate the solution with audible frequencies
(usually something near the 60 hz of line current. There's a big difference,
both in cleaning efficiency and in cost. Most ultrasonic cleaners cost
over a hundred dollars to start, and good ones are several hundred. The reason I
say this is that it would be surprising if an actual ultrasonic cleaner had
trouble cleaning your ring while the dishwasher managed it. If that's the case,
then either something is wrong with your ultrasonic, or you're not using a
proper cleaning solution for the job. The water in an ultrasonic cleaner should
be (just like your dishwasher) hot in order to do the job well. Better
ultrasonics have a heater for just this reason. If yours does not, heat the solution
first (microwave it, if you like). The cleaning solution needs to be a decently
strong detergent, or a cleaning solution specifically made to clean
jewelry in an ultrasonic. You can do the same for less money with decent strong
kitchen liquid detergents such as Mr. Clean or Top Job, to which, if they don't
already have it, you add a bit of ammonia. Do that, and your ultrasonic should be
able to do anything your dishwasher does, or better. Also, give the ultrasonic
enough time to work. less expensive ones can take ten or fifteen minutes
to do a good job. The simple "sonic" cleaners that are not ultrasonic types
will need longer. Even they are not so bad, if the right cleaning agents are
used, and the water is hot, and you give it time.

I did mean to enquote "ultrasonic," sorry. Yes it is the cheap vibrating
kind. It's probably the first time I used the thing in 15 years, since for
everything else I've found that a little dental brush pick works nicely. I
left the ring in there for more than an hour using softened, very warm water
(120°F or so) with the prescribed cleaning powder. I suppose if I had been
willing to to pay retail price for the ring (the only ring I wear anymore) I
couldt justify getting a better unit to clean it with.

Hope that helps.

As always.


Peter Rowe
moderator