Where/how to get rings cleaned?

[Pearls18]

I need to get my wedding and engagement rings professionally cleaned as I have got....dermatitis....? On my ring finger, I've got to treat it and get the rings cleaned before I wear them again to check if it's the metal I'm allergic too or more likely too much soap build up etc.

I have no idea where to get this done and how much the cost will be? They're white gold, I've heard I will need to get them dipped as the gold reverts to yellow over time, is this the same thing?

 

[jd83]

Any jeweler should be able to clean them for you on site. I've never had one charge me to clean mine, as they hope I will browse and possibly buy something while they are working on cleaning it.

As far as the allergy thing, I have this. I'm allergic to nickel, which is one of the alloys in white gold, and its the most common allergen in most jewelry. You can do a nickel test on another part of your body to test for it, if you aren't quite sure that's what it is. Tape a nickel coin (if you have nickel coins?) to your arm, or somewhere on your body and leave for 24 hours. If it develops a rash in that area, then yes, the nickel is the problem. I have to get my rings Rhodium plated occasionally due to this. Whenever I notice my fingers breaking out from my rings, I take them in to get rhodium plated. It usually lasts me a good few years before needing done again, and only costs around $40.

 

[jd83]

Also, as far as "treating" your finger, I haven't had to do anything in particular to mine aside from stopping wearing my ring until it heals, and not wearing it again until the ring has been re-plated with Rhodium.

 

[FAB mama]

I've taken mine to the jeweler they came from and they cleaned them for free. However, once a few stones (wedding band has lots of tiny stones) came out and they didn't notice until I pointed it out. So they had to search for them and put them back in. Anyway, just mentioning that incase yours is like that. Mine could really use a cleaning but I'm afraid of the stones getting lost again.

 

[DJJ]

I took my husbands twisted white and yellow gold wedding ring to H Samuel s after he got chemical on it at work . It cost just over £40 to have it cleaned, replated on the white gold and reshaped.

 

[Pearls18]

Thank you I will take them to Samuels as that's where we got them.

Thank you for the info jd83, the reason I'm not overly convinced I'm allergic is because I've been wearing them for 3 years no problem until I swelled late pregnancy, even though I've stopped wearing them a while it hasn't cleared up, doctor thinks there's something fungal there too (lovely lol) so I'm really hoping me and my rings just need a good clean haha, but it's good to know there's something I can do if allergic, not sure if our coins are nickel or not.

 

[jd83]

Thank you I will take them to Samuels as that's where we got them.

Thank you for the info jd83, the reason I'm not overly convinced I'm allergic is because I've been wearing them for 3 years no problem until I swelled late pregnancy, even though I've stopped wearing them a while it hasn't cleared up, doctor thinks there's something fungal there too (lovely lol) so I'm really hoping me and my rings just need a good clean haha, but it's good to know there's something I can do if allergic, not sure if our coins are nickel or not.

Nickel allergies are something that can develop all of a sudden too, so don't count it out. I never had a problem with it growing up. Its really only bothered me since my 20s. My wedding ring initially never bothered me, but it was Rhodium plated to begin with when DH bought it. Most white gold are. Its when it wears off that you would notice it bothering you.

Hope you figure out what's causing it, though, its no fun having dermatitis like symptoms on your fingers!

 

[MrsMandy]

Getting them cleaned at the jeweller will be perfect this time to make sure (mine put it in a machine to clean, some kind of ultrasound thing that worked brilliantly!) But if you pop into fhinds (Samuel prob do the same thing I just have a personal hatred of them over the way they have treated me each time I buy from them!!) they have a pot of jewellery cleaner that cost me £5 and you pop your rings in for five mins then use the little brush that came with to give them a gental scrub then dry them off. I also bought a gold polishing cloth about £2 and it brings the shine back up too to be able do them regularly at home.

You only need to get them replated if they need it, cleaning won't strip the plating away.
I had one of mine on constantly for 9 years never needed replating until I went in jacuzzi on our honeymoon and something in the chemicals used to keep it clean striped it right off! I was so upset and scared to go back in in case it happened to my wedding and engagement rings too!!