With a hardness rating of 9, sapphires make an excellent choice for engagement rings or rings intended for everyday wear. Sapphires can be cleaned using most cleaning methods since they are tough and durable.

The hardness of the gemstones plays a role in what cleaning methods are appropriate for that gem. The Mohs scale of hardness will give you a lot of the information you need. Diamonds are the hardest gem with a Moh’s hardness rating of 10, followed by ruby and sapphire (hardness of 9), then topaz (hardness of 8), followed by aquamarine, tourmaline, emerald, and garnet (hardness of ~7.5), and then amethyst, citrine, iolite and zircon (hardness of 7). These gems are good choices for every day wear in terms of hardness, which is resistance to scratches. Extra care should be taken with gemstones with have a hardness rating under 7.0 since more every day items can scratch them. Gemstones that fall into this category are peridot, tanzanite, kunzite, and opaque gems like malachite, lapis lazuli, turquoise, opal and pearls.

Household dust generally has a hardness of 7, so if you were to use a cleaning cloth that had dust on it to clean your peridot, you could cause of light surface scratching. Metals such as gold and platinum have a hardness in the 3-4 range, and so they too can be scratched by a dusty cleaning cloth. Ever wonder why when you go to a jewelry store, they often show the jewelry on a soft pad? Besides the fact that it looks professional, it’s also because the glass countertop can actually scratch the softer gems like pearls.

Another issue that you may not have considered is that since gold and platinum are softer than most gemstones, a loose stone in a setting can actually slowly wear away at a prongs. So it is important to check your jewelry regularly to make sure the settings are secure.

MyJewelrySource.com recommends using lukewarm water and a soft toothbrush to clean your gemstones. You may also add a detergent-free soap as well. To clean out under the stones well, you can also use a pulsed water dental cleaning appliance. Finally, you can also use a lint/dust-free jewelry cleaning cloth to spruce up the metal mountings.