Brilliant Earth’s fine jewelry items are set with gemstones of beautiful quality. To bring out the best of gemstones’ unique properties, including color, clarity, and overall appearance, most gemstones sold at fine jewelers, including Brilliant Earth, are treated with various industry standard methods. Below you can find information on our gemstone treatments along with specific care instructions to help preserve and protect your jewelry for years to come.
Gemstones Treatment and Care
Amethyst
Amethyst Treatment: Heat
Amethyst Care: For safe cleaning, use warm, soapy water. Amethyst can crack or fade if exposed to high temperatures, so steam cleaning is not recommended. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe, unless the stone is dyed or treated by fracture filling.
Ametrine
Ametrine Treatment: Heat
Ametrine Care: For safe cleaning, use warm, soapy water. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe, unless the stone is dyed or treated by fracture filling. Ametrine should not be exposed to high temperatures, so steam cleaning is not recommended.
Aquamarine
Aquamarine Treatment: Heat
Aquamarine Care: We recommend warm, soapy water for safe cleaning. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually safe, except in instances where the stone has liquid inclusions or fractures.
Citrine
Citrine Treatment: Heat
Citrine Care: For safe cleaning, use warm, soapy water. Citrine should not be exposed to high temperatures, so steam cleaning is not recommended. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe, unless the stone is dyed or treated by fracture filling.
Diamonds
Black Diamonds:
- Black Diamond Treatment: Heat (unless specified to be unheated in the product details)
- Black Diamond Care: For safe cleaning, use warm, soapy water and a soft bristle toothbrush. To avoid causing any damage, we do not recommend the use of steam, ultrasonic cleaners, heat, or harsh chemicals.
Colored Diamonds:
- Colored Diamonds Treatment: None
- Colored Diamonds Care: We recommend the use of lint-free cloths, commercial jewelry cleaning solutions, and household detergents for the safe cleaning of your diamonds. Powdered abrasive household cleaners, ultrasonic cleaners, and steam cleaners should be avoided.
Emerald
Emerald Treatment: Infusion - Oiling
Emerald Care: Due to their brittleness, emeralds must be handled gently. Cleaning techniques that involve chemicals, high heat or steam are not advised, as they can cause the gem to break or the oil filler to dissipate. Special care should be taken when wearing emerald jewelry given emeralds are prone to fracture if roughly handled. This gemstone can be taken to a Brilliant Earth showroom to be cleaned.
Fire Citrine
Fire Citrine Treatment: Heat
Fire Citrine Care: For safe cleaning, use warm, soapy water. Fire Citrine should not be exposed to high temperatures, so steam cleaning is not recommended. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe, unless the stone is dyed or treated by fracture filling.
Garnet
Garnet Treatment: None
Garnet Care: Warm, soapy water is best for safely cleaning this gemstone. Ultrasonic cleaners are usually safe, unless the stone has any fractures. Due to heat sensitivity, steam cleaners are not recommended.
Lab Grown
Lab Grown Diamonds:
- Lab Grown Diamonds Treatment: Varies
- Lab Grown Diamonds Care: Some lab diamonds grown through deposition may also undergo pressure and heat treatment after they are grown.
Lab Grown Gemstones:
- Lab Grown Gemstones Treatment: None
- Lab Grown Gemstones Care: No treatment beyond the standard growth process.
Moissanite
Moissanite Treatment: Heat
Moissanite Care: We recommend warm, soapy water for the safe cleaning of this stone. We also recommend the use of ultrasonic and steam cleaners.
Morganite
Morganite Treatment: Heat or Irradiation
Morganite Care: We recommend warm, soapy water for safe cleaning. Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are usually safe, except in instances where the stone has liquid inclusions or fractures.
Opal
Opal Treatment: None
Opal Care: Opals cannot be subjected to Ultrasonic cleaning, and are very sensitive to sudden temperature changes, perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and chemicals.
Pearls
Cultured Akoya Pearls:
- Cultured Akoya Pearls Treatment: Bleaching
- Cultured Akoya Pearls Care: Pearls cannot be subjected to Ultrasonic cleaning, and are very sensitive to sudden temperature changes, perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and chemicals.
Cultured Freshwater Pearls:
- Cultured Freshwater Pearls Treatment: Bleaching
- Cultured Freshwater Pearls Care: Pearls cannot be subjected to Ultrasonic cleaning, and are very sensitive to sudden temperature changes, perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and chemicals.
Cultured Tahitian Pearls:
- Cultured Tahitian Pearls Treatment: None
- Cultured Tahitian Pearls Care: Pearls cannot be subjected to Ultrasonic cleaning, and are very sensitive to sudden temperature changes, perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and chemicals.
Sea of Cortez Cultured Pearls:
- Sea of Cortez Cultured Pearls Treatment: None
- Sea of Cortez Cultured Pearls Care: Pearls cannot be subjected to Ultrasonic cleaning, and are very sensitive to sudden temperature changes, perfume, hairspray, cosmetics and chemicals.
Learn More About Pearls:
Peridot
Peridot Treatment: None
Peridot Care: We only recommend warm, soapy water to safely clean peridot. Mechanical cleaners, like ultrasonic and steam, are not recommended.
Quartz
Quartz Treatment: Heat
Quartz Care: We only recommend warm, soapy water to safely clean quartz. Due to the stone’s sensitivity, ultrasonic and steam cleaners are not recommended.
Ruby
Ruby Treatment: Heat (unless specified to be unheated in the product details)
Ruby Care: Rubies are easy to care for at home. Rubies can be cleaned using any cleaner that is specifically designed for use with jewelry, or, if set in gold or platinum, with warm water and a splash of grease removing dish or cleaning detergent. Avoid using any products that include moisturizers, abrasives or anti-static agents, as they will leave a residue and scratch the metal. Scrub gently with a soft bristle toothbrush and rinse well. Dry with a soft cloth. For deeper cleaning, allow the piece to soak for 10 to 20 minutes in a mixture of warm water and a small amount of grease removing soap, and then follow the remaining steps of the above procedure. This process should not be used for rubies set in silver as many detergents can react poorly with silver.
Sapphire
Sapphire Treatment: Heat (unless specified to be unheated in the product details)
Sapphire Care: Sapphires are easy to care for at home. Sapphires can be cleaned using any cleaner that is specifically designed for use with jewelry, or, if set in gold or platinum, with warm water and a splash of grease removing dish soap or cleaning detergent. Avoid using any products that include moisturizers, abrasives or anti-static agents, as they will leave a residue and scratch the metal. Scrub gently with a soft bristle toothbrush and rinse well. Dry with a soft cloth. For deeper cleaning, allow the piece to soak for 10 to 20 minutes in a mixture of warm water and a small amount of grease removing soap, and then follow the remaining steps of the above procedure. This process should not be used for sapphires set in silver as many detergents can react poorly with silver.
Learn More About Sapphires:
Spinel
Spinel Treatment: Heat
Spinel Care: Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are generally safe. Warm soapy water is always safe.
Tanzanite
Tanzanite Treatment: Heat
Tanzanite Care: Tanzanites should not be cleaned in an ultrasonic machine. This gemstone can be taken to a Brilliant Earth showroom to be cleaned.
Topaz
Topaz Treatment: Heat or Irradiation
Topaz Care: Warm, soapy water is the best cleaning method for this gemstone. As vibrations and heat may damage topaz, we recommend avoiding mechanical cleaners like ultrasonic or steam.
Tourmaline
Tourmaline Treatment: Heat
Tourmaline Care: We only recommend warm, soapy water to safely clean tourmaline. Due to the stone’s sensitivity, ultrasonic and steam cleaners are not recommended.
Zircon
Zircon Treatment: Heat (unless specified to be unheated in the product details)
Zircon Care: Ultrasonic and steam cleaners are not recommended. Warm water and a splash of grease removing dish soap or cleaning detergent is an effective cleaning agent.
Carat Weight
Total Carat Weight Details:
Brilliant Earth maintains strict standards for carat weights listed on our diamond jewelry. Some styles may have slight carat weight variation from one piece to another. In these cases, the total carat weight is represented as a fractional carat weight. Below you can find information on our total carat weight tolerance.
For fine jewelry styles over 1 carat total weight, add the whole number plus the fraction above. For example, 1 3/4 ct. tw. would have a range of 1.69-1.79 ct. tw. and 2 ct. tw. would have a range of 1.95-2.11 ct. tw.
Some styles such as eternity rings have carat weight ranges that exceed the tolerances in the chart above. In these instances, refer to the minimum carat weight listed on the product detail page.
The listed carat weight for halo styles is based on a 6.5mm round center gem and may vary based on the size and shape of center gem.
