How to care for ruby jewellery
Rubies are the birthstone for July and are famously, red. They have been one the most valuable gemstones throughout history and used in jewellery for some of histories most renowned figures, so how do you look after your ruby jewellery to make sure it always looks its best.
Ruby’s are tough, but not indestructible
Rubies are a 9 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness which means they are second only to diamonds. This means that they can be used in any type of jewellery and worn frequently without you having to worry about them breaking or scratching.
It will take years for ruby to show signs of wear and tear but it will happen, especially in rings, so if you have a ruby ring that you wear a lot keep an eye on it. It may be best to take it off if you're going to be doing anything manually, for instance, gardening, to keep it looking it best for as long as possible.
How to clean ruby jewellery
As rubies are tough they can be cleaned using an ultrasonic cleaner. If you don’t have one, then stiff bristle toothbrush and warm soapy water work well too. Some stones, like Emeralds, are not suited to this type of cleaning but rubies are fine and should come up really well.
If you want to avoid using solvents then just using warm water will work well, its maybe just take a little longer to dislodge material that has built up.
Keep an eye on claws
The claws are the bits of metal that go over the sides of a ring to keep it in place, over time these can get worn away and maybe even break off if caught on clothing. If a claw comes off then there’s a chance the stone could come out and would then need replacing.