Most durable gemstones (diamond, ruby, sapphire) are quite acceptable of standard jewelry cleaners, however mild soapy water is still always the safest bet compared to any harsh chemical agents. Some people suggest using a soft-bristled toothbrush (with mild soap) to get into the tight spaces in the setting. Have care though when cleaning jewelry items with many small melee-mounted stones. Sometimes prongs can become loose. You wouldn't want any accent stones accidentally falling into the drainage.
Be aware of your gemstone's identity and any possible enhancements or treatments it may have gone through, as sometimes treatment procedures can lower durability, or create the potential for damage during some types of cleaners (i.e. steam or ultrasonic cleaners on heavily fracture-filled gemstones).
Since we make use of probe-type spectrometric instrumentation, we can check diamonds that are already mounted into jewelry. The detection of natural VS imitation VS lab-grown diamonds is done by our laboratory on both loose and jewelry-mounted diamonds on a routine basis. Grading is quite similar as well, but can have slight variances. Some apparent visual elements can appear slightly different for mounted stones, as the metal can influence reflected color hues or provide an aspect of visual contrast to the very subtle hue of a diamond. Likewise at times, some very complicated mountings can also hide certain areas of the stone from view.
Diamonds are meticulously evaluated here at the laboratory, so loose stones are weighed by a carat scale that is vibration and wind / air resistant. Mounted stones are estimated for carat weight using any existing measurable dimensions that our gemologist obtains. Be sure to know what you need from our service before setting the appointment, so we can better help you or let you know of our limitations. At the current time we only operate by appointment, so session dates and times have to be scheduled around 2-3 days prior. Our gemological staff shares in the widespread knowledge, care & appreciation for gemstone jewelry here in the Philippines.
