Tungsten carbide jewelry is one of the most desirable and popular trends of today. While wedding bands are the most common type of tungsten carbide jewelry worn by men, bracelets and necklaces are also popular. This guide will look at the best ways to polish and maintain your tungsten carbide ring yourself.
Popularity of Tungsten Carbide
One of the reasons why tungsten carbide rings are so popular in the first place is that they require very little in the way of maintenance. They are strong and durable, making them a popular choice with people who do not want to have to pay for regular servicing and repairs for their wedding band or fashion ring.
Scratching a tungsten carbide ring is virtually impossible, and the polish and finish of the ring means that it maintains a ‘new’ and shiny appearance at all times. Although tungsten carbide rings are famously low maintenance, there may still be times when you need to give it a clean to keep up its appearance.
Cleaning Your Ring
Although your tungsten carbide ring cannot be scratched or lose its shine, debris can attach itself to the ring; this might be dirt, pieces of another metal that has come into contact with your tungsten carbide ring, or something else. Light smudging and fingerprints might be as bad as it gets, but why would you want to allow even that when it is easy to get the pristine appearance of your ring back?
Cleaning your ring is so simple that you can do it in a matter of minutes. Follow these steps to easily maintain your tungsten ring and keep it looking new forever.
Mix Up a Solution
Tungsten carbide can have an extreme reaction to some cleaning chemicals commonly used for cleaning other types of jewelry, such as ammonia or so-called ‘jewelry cleaning fluid’ that you can buy at the store, and end up damaging your ring irreparably. Thankfully, the solution you need is probably sitting in your kitchen or bathroom right now.Just mix up a cup of warm water with a cup or two of hand soap or washing up liquid, and you will be good to go.
Hit the Tungsten Carbide
You need to use either a cotton cleaning cloth or a toothbrush at this stage. We recommend using the former to complete the main cleaning process, but keep the latter at hand so you can deal with any grooves or areas of your tungsten carbide ring that need specific attention.
Remember that tungsten carbide is a strong alloy, so you can really focus on putting all of your energy into vigorously removing any grime or dirt that has built up on your ring.
Alternatively, you can choose to place your ring in your homemade solution for a short period prior to cleaning. This has a similar effect to soaking dirty dishes prior to cleaning them; most of the dirt will loosen and simply fall off. Use a toothbrush or even a cosmetic cotton swab at this stage. It is better to do this if you have rings with an intricate pattern, engravings, or gemstones within the design.
The Final Step
Once you have completed the cleaning process, tip your cleaning solution away and hold the ring under gently flowing warm water. Use another clean cotton cloth to dry off the ring carefully, and you can return it to pride of place on your finger of choice.
Additional Tips
Not only should you avoid using chemicals to clean your tungsten carbide ring, it is also best to avoid other traditional jewelry cleaning methods, such as ultrasonic cleaning, as this too can damage your ring.
Should you work in an environment where your ring might be exposed to damaging chemicals such as the ones mentioned, then it is a good idea to remove it in any situations contact is possible. If your tungsten carbide ring is exposed to a potentially damaging chemical, your ring should be cleaned as soon as possible. It is definitely best to avoid any problems and just take it off, if you can.
In addition, if you remove your ring for whatever reason elsewhere, ensure it is kept away from other jewelry that might have been cleaned with chemical agents, as these will stay on the jewelry for some time and can still have a damaging impact on your own ring.
Maintaining Your Ring
If you have paid for a quality tungsten carbide ring then it is only natural that you will want to look after it properly. Follow these tips for keeping your ring out of trouble and for cleaning it when you need to, and you will ensure your ring always retains the ‘new’ and shiny look.