Boiling hot water is often used in a common household. From cooking to cleaning, hot water is more than necessary – and we can all agree on that. But can boiling water damage a diamond? Is it safe to use boiling water to clean your diamond?
It may come off as a very specific question, but you wouldn’t believe what people on the internet are able to say! So, today we’re here to tell you all about what would happen if you were to put a diamond in boiling water.
We’re also going to discuss what to do if you drop a diamond in a pot of boiling water and if there is a way to prevent any damage. In addition to that, we’re going to show you how to clean your diamond properly, and not try boiling it to get rid of the dirt.
If you’re interested in at least one of these three major and interesting topics, we highly recommend you keep reading and find out all there is about this topic!
Let’s dive right in!
What Boiling Water Does To A Diamond?
We’ve all had encounters with boiling water, whether it was while making coffee, cooking food, or just being around the house when mom makes breakfast.
But, have you ever questioned what that boiling water can do to a diamond? You’ll find out in a second!
First of all, let’s understand what boiling water is and why the water is boiling in order to better grasp what this extremely hot liquid can do to a gemstone such as a diamond.
Boiling water is water that has reached the temperature of 100 degrees Celcius (or 212 degrees Fahrenheit). The moment when water reaches this temperature is called the boiling point.
The boiling is the process of rapid vaporization of said liquid, and every liquid has its own boiling point and speed of vaporization.
But now, we’re interested exclusively in water. When water boils, you’ll see big bubbles and violent changes in the water’s structure caused by extreme heat. What does that remind you of? Maybe diamonds?
Exactly! Diamonds also change under extreme heat (and pressure), so water and diamonds can be alike if you think of it.
But what will most likely happen if you put a diamond in boiling water: Nothing.
It may sound funny, but if there aren’t any predicaments that we’re going to tell you about a bit later, a diamond shouldn’t be damaged by the boiling water.
On the contrary, since boiling water is an amazing way to kill 99% of germs and bacteria, dumping diamonds in boiling water is used as one of the techniques to actually clean diamonds.
The water disinfects the diamonds and cleans them pretty efficiently as well as the surrounding precious metals and anything else attached to the gemstone in question.
But, regardless of what we said just now, there are some situations in which diamonds shouldn’t be put in boiling water. Read ahead and find out what are those circumstances, and why sometimes, you shouldn’t drop your diamonds in boiling water!
Here’s Why Not To Put Diamonds In Boiling Water
As we’ve said, boiling water shouldn’t damage your diamond unless the diamond is put in the water under certain circumstances. Here, you’ll find out what can go wrong if you put your diamonds in boiling water.
First of all, you shouldn’t be putting diamonds in boiling water by yourself. If you’re trying to clean it, there are better ways to do that – if you’re interested in finding out about those methods, keep reading!
Nevertheless, the diamond-cleaning process is not simple, and there are countless factors that you need to factor in, so doing this on your own isn’t a good idea.
The first thing that can go wrong is if you drop a cold diamond in hot water. There’s a process called thermal shock, and it can severely damage your diamonds.
A thermal shock is a sudden temperature fluctuation causing stress in an object or substance. This can cause your diamond to shatter and/or break due to the high difference in the temperature.
For example, if you were wearing your diamond outside in the winter months and you decided to go home and clean it in boiling water, your diamond will most likely break due to you putting it in boiling water after exposing it to low temperatures.
Unfortunately, the damage that can be caused by doing this is irreparable and your diamond will be damaged forever.
The second circumstance under which you shouldn’t put your diamond in boiling water is if your diamond had cavities filled by a professional, and has been damaged earlier.
If you decide to put such a diamond in boiling water, the cavity and the previous damage can be amplified. There’s also a possibility of the cavity filling falling out or getting rinsed by the hot water which will reveal the crack or damage that has been sanitized by a diamond professional.
These are all very serious situations that should be avoided at all costs, so dropping diamonds in boiling water by yourself is not a good idea for a couple of reasons.
But, we can’t lie to you, so if your diamond hasn’t been repaired and its temperature is not drastically lower than the temperature of boiling water which is 100℃ or 212℉ there shouldn’t be a problem with you dropping your diamond in boiling water.
Nevertheless, if you decide to do so, just remember not to keep it in for a very long time. Disinfection and cleaning are done in a couple of seconds, and there’s no point in keeping the diamond in the boiling water for longer than that.
Help! I’ve Accidentally Dropped My Diamonds In Boiling Water!
If you’ve dropped your diamond in boiling water, there’s no time to panic. There are a few steps that you need to take in order to minimize the damage.
First of all, never drop a diamond that has been in boiling water in cold water or any cold environment.
If you do drop your diamond or jewelry piece with a diamond in boiling water, don’t panic. You should first get something that can help you reach the diamond in the boiling water.
Try getting your hands on some barbeque tongs or a ladle. Using these will prevent you from coming into direct contact with the boiling water and getting burned. This is essential since diamonds can be replaced, and the severity of the burns that boiling water can inflict is irreparable in some cases.
A good idea may be to grab a cloth and move the object filled with boiling water away from the source of heat. That’ll stop the boiling process at once, and you’ll be able to use the tongs or the ladle to take out the diamond or jewelry that fell in.
When you do take it out, don’t put the diamond in question under cold water or on ice. This will most definitely cause another thermal shock, and you’ll be exposing your diamond to harsh conditions once more.
If the gemstone didn’t break or get damaged by the boiling water, it will definitely be damaged by cold conditions afterward. Running something that has been in boiling water under cold water works only for burns on humans and animals, and not on diamonds and other gemstones.
The best thing you can do is lay it on a piece of cloth at room temperature and let it cool down slowly and over time. This allows for the diamond to drop its temperature more slowly, avoiding any kind of thermal shock in the process.
Afterward, suppose you’re afraid that your diamond sustained any damage. In that case, you can bring it to your local jeweler or diamond specialist, tell them what happened, and ask them to examine the diamond in order to find any potential damage caused by the boiling water.
If there is any, they’ll tell you and probably have a way of fixing it. This goes for diamonds that didn’t shatter and break into small pieces while in boiling water.
So, even if this does happen if you do everything we told you, there are chances that you’ll prevent your diamond from sustaining damage, and even if it does – it probably can be repaired.
One more thing that’s crucial to this situation. You should remember that the conditions of boiling water that has a temperature of 100℃ and water that has a temperature of 140℃ are not the same, and the hotter the water, the bigger the damage to your diamond.
Is Boiling Water Good For Cleaning Diamonds?
As we’ve said, some of you might be persuaded that cleaning your diamond by dropping them in boiling water might be a good idea.
But we assure you, it’s not. Dropping anything in such hot water may only be damaging (unless we’re talking about food), so boiling your diamond shouldn’t be considered a good way of cleaning it.
If you’re looking to clean your diamond, there are better ways to do so, and we’ll tell you all about them in just a sec.
But first, why isn’t it a good idea to clean your diamond by boiling it. As we’ve mentioned previously, boiling water is good for removing 99% of bacteria and harmful microorganisms, but it comes with great risk.
Diamonds are very precious gemstones, and taking those risks may cost you thousands of dollars, so if you’re looking to keep your diamonds clean and undamaged, you should find a better way of cleaning them.
Theoretically speaking, boiling is an amazing way to kill a big majority of germs and bacteria, but it has to be done in a controlled environment, and by a professional.
In older times, diamonds were cleaned by boiling, but diamonds back then were treated much harsher than they are treated now. Also, back then, diamonds had cracks and were damaged easily, and the ones that owned them could replace them with ease.
So the fact that boiling diamonds was once a valid way of cleaning them, in today’s world, there are much better ways to do it. Keep reading if you’re interested in better ways of cleaning your diamonds!
Related Read: Diamond Cleaning With Vinegar: Will Vinegar Harm a Diamond?
Best Ways To Clean A Diamond
Undoubtedly the best way to clean your diamond is to bring it to a jewelry shop that offers jewelry and diamond cleaning.
This is also the safest way of keeping your gemstones and jewelry clean since any DIY stuff comes with a risk of chipping or otherwise damaging your diamond.
Yes, it may cost you more money to do so, but trust us – it’s worth it. If you go for a method such as boiling your diamonds, it may come with a price you won’t be able to pay, and that’s damaging an object that’s dear to your heart.
So, if you’re looking to clean your diamonds, and are looking into boiling them, just remember all the things we’ve said can happen to your precious gemstone if you decide to go that route.
Jewelers have access to advanced technology for cleaning both diamonds and jewelry pieces containing diamonds that won’t crack or in other ways damage your gem.
This is the safest and most reliable option out there for anyone that thinks their diamonds need a bath!
Learn More: Diamond Care: How To Take Care Of Your Diamonds
Conclusion
Keeping your diamonds clean is an important thing to do, and it’s quite responsible of you to keep your jewelry and diamonds clean since studies show that the majority of diamond and jewelry owners almost never clean their valuable property.
As we’ve said, boiling water can severely damage your diamonds, and that’s something nobody wants.
If you do, however, drop your diamond in boiling water, there are a few steps that you can take in order to be efficient in damage control and prevent any further or future damage to your diamond.
But just remember, even if your diamond ends up in boiling water, it doesn’t mean that it’ll get damaged in any way, shape, or form.
We hope we provided you with some reliable and useful information, and that we helped you realize that giving your diamonds a hot bath is not the best idea ever!
Read Also: Does Salt Water Damage Diamonds?