Using ultrasonic cleaners to clean jewelry is very popular today, as it can remove dirt from your engagement rings and other pieces of jewelry in a better way. These cleaners use sound waves for breaking down the dirt present on the surface of your jewelry. But not all jewelry can be cleaned with an ultrasonic cleaner. Hence, before putting your precious, costly jewelry in ultrasonic cleaners, it is important for you to know whether they can damage the jewelry. Therefore, we list some types of gemstones and jewelry that are not suitable for putting in ultrasonic cleaners.
Diamonds With Inclusions And Treated Diamonds
Even though diamonds naturally have great durability and strength, inclusions present in these stones might make them weak in certain circumstances. If the size and number of inclusions are higher in a stone, then the risk of it getting damaged is high. So before putting your diamond jewelry in ultrasonic cleaners, make sure that there are no visible inclusions present in the stone. Otherwise, the ultrasound vibration can even cause your diamond to chip or break.
Additionally, diamonds that have undergone treatments to enhance their clarity and color will also be less durable than natural diamonds. Methods used to remove inclusions inside diamonds involve drilling minute holes into the insides of a stone. These holes will be then fracture-filled using glass-like substances. But they are not as strong as diamonds. Therefore, avoid cleaning treated diamonds using an ultrasonic cleaner.
Can You Clean Other Gemstones?
Many gemstones are very brittle and fragile. Therefore, you should avoid putting jewelry made of them inside an ultrasonic cleaner. Some fragile gemstones include opal, emerald, tanzanite, onyx, etc. The heat and vibrations inside such cleaners can damage them.
Additionally, many gemstones might have undergone heat treatments to enhance their color. Such stones can also easily get damaged inside an ultrasonic cleaner.
Gemstones with cracks or chips should also not be put in an ultrasonic cleaner, as it can worsen the damage.
Pearl is another gemstone that is not suitable to clean with ultrasonic cleaners, as it might even melt because of the high temperatures present in these devices.
Can Your Put Metals In Ultrasonic Cleaners?
It is generally safe to put platinum and gold band engagement rings in ultrasonic cleaners, as they won’t be damaged easily. But avoid cleaning jewelry made of tungsten with such devices, as it can get damaged easily.
So make sure to consider these factors before cleaning your jewelry using ultrasonic cleaners.