Care and Cleaning of Coral Gemstone


Care and Cleaning of Coral Gemstone

Hardness and toughness
The Mohs scale is the most commonly used scale used to measure gem and mineral hardness. Corundum (ruby and sapphire) are relatively hard gemstones —9 on the Mohs scale. They have excellent toughness and no cleavage, which is a tendency to break when struck. This makes them a great choice for rings and other mountings subject to daily wear.

Stability
Sapphires are stable under normal wearing conditions, which means that they’re resistant to the effects of heat, light, and common chemicals. Filled or dyed sapphire stones can be damaged by the slightest mild acids like lemons.

 Cleaning
Warm, soapy water is the safest option. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually safe for untreated, heat-treated, and lattice diffusion treated sapphire stones. Filled, or dyed material or gems must be cleaned with the help of a damp cloth.

  1.     In a bowl place some warm water, and some mild detergent or some small amount of ammonia
  2.   Place the sapphire stone in the solution for a few minutes
  3.   Remove the jewellery from the bowl and clean gently with the toothbrush using the liquid from the bowl. 
  4.   Wash your sapphire under clean warm water until any residue of soap is removed.
  5.   Rinse and dry with a clean soft cloth.

You can also try blow drying it to remove all the water. This would also add shine to your ring.

If your sapphire stone is of particularly high quality, it is wise to have it professionally cleaned and examined once every year or so.

Storage
Store your sapphire pieces separate from the rest of your jewellery as they can easily scratch other stones and metals or be scratched by any other metals in your collection.

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