Hi folks,
One of my past custom clients just got in touch saying that his wife managed to cover her engagement and wedding rings with polyurethane- he said they’re entirely coated. She hid them away instead of dealing with the issue immediately, so they’ve been sitting for months. Ugh.
The rings are both cast 900 platinum, and the engagement ring has an unheated/untreated sapphire and diamonds. I’m thinking a soak in acetone (or other polyurethane remover?) should be OK for these materials, then perhaps a blast under steam or ultrasonic to get the remaining goo out of nooks & crannies?
But never having dealt with this issue before, I’d love some reassurance and/or advice on alternatives from anyone who has been there or has education in this matter. Thanks in advance!
Hello, if the jewelry can be put into the ultrasonic, i.e. just made up of gold and diamonds, then use a glass Pyrex cup. Put the jewelry into the cup, cover the pieces with acetone but don’t fill up the cup with it, and float the cup on top of the water of your ultrasonic. The heat and vibrations will work with the acetone to cut through the urethane. Works really well. If you have sensitive stones that cannot go into the ultra, then take them out of the settings and use the Pyrex cup procedure on the gold. Check the jewelry in the floating cup from time to time so the acetone doesn’t evaporate, and as soon as the urethane has been dissolved, remove it from the cup and rinse the jewelry with water first to remove most of the acetone so it doesn’t make the liquid in the ultra murky. Then have it sit in your ultrasonic basket for a final clean to make sure all of the acetone has been removed. Good luck, Caroline
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