How to Care for Emeralds

by Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger

24 Feb 2009 10:33 AM

My engagement ring consists of a diamond in the middle with two green emeralds on either side. The setting originally called for three diamonds, the larger one in the middle with two smaller one to the left and the right.

My husband took me to the jeweler he had chosen just to make sure that I would like the ring. The engagement was no surprise, and in fact he had already presented me with a mock up of the ring that he crafted himself.

Getting my nails done before the wedding, the nail technician offered to clean my ring until she noticed that there were emeralds in it. There is a lot of worry about cleaning emeralds. The truth is that they are a hard stone, so will probably not be damaged by cleaners the way opals are, but soapy water and traditional cleaners can cause them to loose some of their sparkle.

When emeralds are finished, a resin or oil is used in order to polish the stones and fill in any naturally occurring fissures. These little surface cracks are perfectly normal and usually aren't noticeable. Steamy and sudsy water as well as alcohol-based cleaners can remove these resins or oils and make the cracks visible.

The best way to care for emeralds is to dip them in room temperature water and brush them gently.

Since I tend to wash my hands several times a day, especially in winter (with three kids) I tend to break this rule. I do take my rings off for heavy cleaning and cooking, but if I took them off every time my hands hit water I might as well not wear them. If you are the same way, you can have your jeweler re-oil your stones every few years to bring them back to their glory.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, creating a home in the Home Blog, caring for little ones in the Baby Blog and now relationships in the Marriage Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here or subscribe to the blog using the subscription box on the right.

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Learn more about Mary Ann Romans

Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat.

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