A Lifetime of Brilliance

Daily Wear Guidelines

Know When to Remove Your Piece

Diamonds may be hard, but they're also brittle. A sharp blow to the wrong angle can crack a stone. More commonly, daily wear exposes your jewelry to moisture, chemicals, and friction that cloud the metal and loosen prongs. We recommend removing your piece in these moments:

• Swimming and bathing. Chlorine fades white gold and can weaken prongs over time. Salt water is even harsher.
• Gym, yoga, and sports. Sweat and impact are jewelry's enemies. Lock it away before you work out.
• Cleaning and washing dishes. Soap and detergent strip the oils that protect your ring and make stones look cloudy.
• Sleeping. You might roll over it, crack it, or bend the band. A soft pouch on your nightstand is safer than your hand.
• Gardening, repairs, and outdoor work. Dirt gets under prongs. Impact can bend delicate settings.

What Damages Your Jewelry (And How to Prevent It)

The enemies of fine jewelry are predictable. Once you know them, protecting your piece becomes second nature:

• Cosmetics, perfume, and lotions. These dull diamonds and can corrode certain metals. Apply them before you put on your jewelry.
• Extreme temperature changes. Going from a hot shower to cold air can shock a stone and cause tiny fractures. Let your piece acclimate.
• Everyday friction. Rubbing against your skin, clothing, and other jewelry creates microscopic scratches on metal and clouds stones with a film of body oils.
• Pressure on prongs. Catching your ring on a sweater or gripping it too tightly can bend prongs and loosen stones.

Protecting Your Prongs

Prongs are the only thing keeping your stone where it belongs. Check them monthly. Run your fingernail gently across each prong—it should feel smooth and secure. If a prong feels bent, loose, or sharp, it's time for professional attention. We recommend an annual inspection, which we offer at no cost to all our clients.

Cleaning at Home

You don't need expensive solutions or complicated systems. Warm water, mild soap, and a soft brush will restore brilliance in minutes. Here's exactly how we do it:

The Method That Works

1. Soak in warm soapy water. Fill a bowl with warm (not hot) water and a few drops of gentle dish soap. Let your piece sit for 15–20 minutes. This loosens the buildup of oils and dust.
2. Gently brush with a soft brush. Use a soft-bristled toothbrush or jewelry brush. Brush gently around the stone and prongs, underneath the band, and along any textured surfaces. A soft touch is all you need.
3. Rinse thoroughly with clean running water. Let water run over the entire piece for at least 30 seconds, making sure no soap residue remains.
4. Pat dry with a soft, lint-free cloth. Microfiber works perfectly. Never rub—just pat gently and let air dry if needed.

What NOT to Use at Home

This is important: some methods that seem helpful can actually damage your jewelry. Avoid:

• Ultrasonic cleaners. These vibrate at frequencies that can loosen prongs, crack stones, and damage delicate settings. They seem safe but they're not worth the risk.
• Bleach or harsh chemicals. These can pit and discolor metal, especially white gold and platinum. Even trace amounts can cause permanent damage.
• Abrasive scrubs or scouring pads. These scratch metal and can cloud diamonds. Your soft brush is the right tool for the job.
• Boiling water. Extreme heat can shock stones and weaken adhesives in some settings. Warm water is all you need.
• Commercial "dip" cleaners. They're aggressive and can strip protective coatings on white gold. Stick with soap and water.

How Often?

If you wear your piece daily, clean it every 2–4 weeks. If you wear it occasionally, once a month is fine. Your diamond will tell you when it's ready—when the light stops reflecting quite as brilliantly, it's time to clean.

Professional Maintenance

At-home care keeps your piece looking beautiful between visits. But professional care is what keeps it safe for a lifetime. We recommend an annual inspection—and we do this at no charge for all our clients.

What Happens During an Inspection

When you bring your piece in, we look at:

• Prong security. We check every prong to make sure your stone is sitting as it should. A loose prong is caught early, before it becomes a problem.
• Metal integrity. We inspect the band for cracks, wear, or areas where the metal has thinned. These are easier to fix before they become breaks.
• Stone condition. We look for any cloudiness, chips, or scratches that might benefit from professional polishing.
• Overall structure. We make sure everything that should be connected still is, and everything should be aligned still is.

Services We Offer

If your piece needs more than an inspection, we can help:

• Professional cleaning. We use methods that bring back the brilliance of the day you received it. This is complimentary with any service.
• Rhodium replating for white gold. White gold is actually yellow gold coated with rhodium—a bright white metal. Over time, this coating wears through and the warm yellow shows underneath. We replate this in-house, usually in 1–2 weeks. The cost is modest, and it makes your piece look brand new.
• Polishing and refinishing. If your metal has picked up scratches, we can restore its finish. Delicate, careful work—we never remove more metal than necessary.
• Prong repair and retightening. If a prong is bent or loose, we fix it. If a stone is sitting even slightly wrong, we adjust it. This is where expertise matters.
• Resizing and modifications. Fingers change. Lives change. We can resize your ring or adapt your piece for new ways of wearing it.

Why an Annual Visit Matters

Small problems caught early are simple fixes. A loose prong that you catch right away takes an hour to tighten. The same prong left for a year may have allowed the stone to shift—now it needs resetting, which is more involved. Come once a year, and we catch everything before it becomes something. Better yet, we have no surprises. You know what your piece needs and when. You can plan for it.

Storage

How you store your jewelry when you're not wearing it is as important as how you clean it. The wrong storage can trap moisture, encourage tarnishing, and—if pieces are tangled together—cause scratches and damage.

The Right Way to Store

• Use individual compartments or soft pouches. Each piece should have its own space. This prevents scratching and tangling. We provide soft pouches with every delivery—use them.
• Keep pieces separate from one another. Diamonds can scratch other stones and metals. Gold can scratch gold. Store them in drawers with dividers, a jewelry box with compartments, or individual pouches in a larger box.
• Avoid tangling. Chains and delicate pieces should be stored carefully so they don't knot with other jewelry. A small hook or peg in your storage solution helps.
• Keep away from humidity and heat. Store jewelry in a cool, dry place. A bathroom medicine cabinet is the worst choice—moisture and heat accelerate tarnishing. A bedroom drawer is better. A safe or safe-deposit box is ideal.
• Never use plastic bags. Plastic traps moisture and can off-gas chemicals that damage metal. Soft cloth is your only choice.

For Heirloom Pieces

If you're storing a piece for extended periods—perhaps something you inherited that you'll wear later, or a special piece you're saving for your own children—take an extra step: store it in a sealed, airtight container with a small packet of silica gel to absorb any moisture. Check on it every 6–12 months. And when you're ready to wear it again, bring it to us for inspection and cleaning before you put it on.

When to Bring It In

Some signs are subtle. Some are obvious. If you notice any of these, it's time for professional care. Don't wait, and don't worry—these are all fixable.

• A stone that seems loose or moves when you move your hand. This is urgent. A moving stone can fall out. Bring it in immediately.
• A prong that looks bent, sharp, or uneven. This is next. A bent prong won't hold a stone securely.
• Visible scratches, dents, or dings in the metal. These don't affect function, but if they bother you, we can polish them out.
• Discoloration or tarnishing on white gold or silver. This happens naturally over time as the protective rhodium coating wears. We replate it in 1–2 weeks.
• A crack, chip, or visible flaw in a stone. We can sometimes polish out tiny surface scratches. Chips and cracks are different—we can discuss options and next steps.
• Cloudiness that won't come clean, even after gentle cleaning at home. This might be a protective film, or it might be buildup in a setting. Professional cleaning will reveal the truth.
• Your ring no longer fits, or you want to adapt it for a different way of wearing. We resize, rebuild, and modify pieces all the time. Let's talk about what you want.

Why We're Here

Dave didn't build Atelier Diamante to disappear after the sale. We're here for the entire lifetime of your piece. You have questions. Something changes. You want to modify how you wear something. You're ready to pass it to someone you love. Whatever your need, we're available. Bring your piece in. Let's take care of it together.