Beyond traditional diamonds, couples are embracing personalized wedding rings featuring vibrant gemstones like emeralds. The lush green hue and timeless elegance of emeralds add a touch of luxury and sophistication to a wedding band. The elegant gemstone has been a symbol of fidelity since ancient times.
Emeralds are often associated with the heart chakra, which means they promote emotional healing and facilitate overall well-being. While they don’t rank as high as diamonds on the Mohs scale, emeralds are pretty strong to be fitted in rings and other jewelry pieces.
But if you are planning to incorporate emeralds to your wedding band, it means that you will be wearing it daily. Proper care is crucial to preserve their brilliance amidst everyday use. This guide explores the secrets to cleaning and maintaining emerald wedding bands, ensuring their enduring beauty.
Cleaning Your Emerald Wedding Band
Emeralds, whether they’re the main stones or side details, can accentuate the opulence of your wedding band. Proper care is crucial to preserve their beauty. Let’s explore the cleaning techniques for emerald wedding rings.
- Start By Wiping It: Before cleaning your emerald ring, it’s crucial to prepare it. The first step is removing grime or oil buildup from the surface with a gentle cloth. This will enhance the effectiveness of the subsequent cleaning process.
- Make a Soapy Water Solution: Take a cup and mix water and soap in it. Use lukewarm or room-temperature water, as extreme temperatures can harm the stone. Don’t keep your emerald band immersed in the solution for more than a minute.
- Brush It Off: Find a brush with soft bristles to remove dirt. Focus on areas that are difficult to reach without applying too much force.
- Rinse It: After cleaning the ring, place it under running water. Gently remove any remaining soap residue with your fingers. Use a sink stopper to prevent the ring from slipping out of your hand.
- Dry Your Wedding Band: Allow your emerald ring to dry naturally in the air. You can also wipe off the moisture with a soft microfiber cloth.
Maintenance Tips for Your Emerald Wedding Band
Apart from their elegance, exceptional hardness is what makes this gemstone popular. Their toughness safeguards the surface against scratches and breakage. Despite their resilience, you need to handle your emerald wedding women’s band with care to ensure its longevity.
-
Avoid Using Harsh Cleaning Products
You might try to clean your wedding band with acetone or rubbing alcohol. But these abrasive agents can harm emeralds, particularly delicate ones. Apart from damaging their appearance, the chemicals can weaken the structure of the gems and make them more fragile.
Emeralds commonly have microscopic cracks on or near their surface. Jewelers fill these cracks with oil to enhance the emerald’s visual appeal and protect it from damage. Chemicals can dissolve this oil, exposing the cracks and potentially compromising the emerald’s integrity. Moreover, removing the oil can reduce the clarity and depth of color in the stone.
-
Protect It from Chemicals
Be mindful of common household chemicals that can dull its surface over time. These include items such as perfumes and hairsprays. Limit their direct exposure to your ring as much as possible to maintain the radiance of your wedding band despite regular use.
-
Keep It Away from Hot Water
Steer clear of excessively hot or cold water to clean emeralds. Hot water can weaken existing cracks, while extremely cold water can damage the gem’s surface. Instead, use lukewarm or room-temperature water. Limit the soaking time, as prolonged immersion can compromise the emerald’s appearance and integrity.
-
Remove It During Strenuous Activities
The toughness of emeralds is appreciable. But these stones are not completely resistant from chips and cracks. Excessive pressure on any gem, no matter how precious it is, will cause damage.
It’s always a good idea to remove your emerald wedding band before performing demanding tasks like gardening or some kind of heavy lifting. Keeping your ring aside while playing a sport or exercising is also prudent. Additionally, you might want to remove it before you hop into a cold or warm shower.
-
Store Properly
For optimal safekeeping, keep your emerald jewelry separate from other pieces. Store it in a velvet-lined box or a cloth pouch to prevent scratches caused by contact with harder gemstones.
Final Words
An emerald wedding band is admired for its visual appeal. But as an embodiment of fidelity and new beginnings, it is also highly meaningful. You can also pick from a diverse range of stone shapes and settings to customize your wedding ring. So, embrace the right cleaning and maintenance techniques and flaunt a gorgeous emerald wedding ring on your finger as a testament to your happily married life.