Thank you Frick! You know so much about jewels. My pearl studs could definitely use a bath, I will try this tmro. And thank you about the twins, they're getting old now, 12 yrs hehe. Your big white South Sea ring with the blue diamonds is what turned me on to BIG pearls. I showed the photo to my dh and said, "look, like this". He said "wow!" That's a very strong reaction for him. I was hoping for gorgeous prongs like yours, but we haven't seen anything at all like that. Your ring is just fabulous!
how sweet of you to say! so glad I can help encourage your DH to get you a bauble that you deserve
I have twin nieces who are about 7.5. they're the love of my life. but I know what a difficult job you had as a twin mommy...I admire you.
I'm really REALLY scared that something I said will cause you to do something that will damage your pearl. soooooooooo please do the unthinkable & go buy some pearl cleaner. I could never forgive myself if something happened to your pearl.
OK, OK...I hate wasting money, so I googled a cleaner recipe. here ya go. but I'm
begging you to please be careful & dilute ANYTHING with purified water when cleaning your pearl just to be on the safe side (even more than the recipe says or even store-bought cleaner). [anything drying is the enemy of a pearl, so I would use super gentle baby shampoo with no scent or any other harsh chemicals]
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/beauty/fashion/speed-clean-jewelry
Freshen your pearls: Because they’re so porous, pearls can easily lose their luster. Whether real, cultured, or faux, they must be cleaned with care. First lay the strand on a soft cloth. Dip a clean, small makeup brush into a mixture of warm water and a little shampoo, and go over each pearl. To finish, rinse the pearls with a clean, well-wrung damp cloth. Let the strand dry flat to prevent the string from stretching. This no-soak treatment is also good for turquoise, another porous stone.
I sorta "created" that ring. I bought the setting as a semi-mount (no center stone, but the side stones were there). it was designed for a gemstone (I had them remove the stone), so I had my jeweler friend add a pin in the middle to hold the pearl underneath. the prongs are actually only decorative...they don't hold the pearl at all & don't really even touch it. the pearl is glued to the pin (as the vast majority of pearls are set...including your ring).
what color is that pearl? in your pic it looks chocolate. if it is, I'm super jealous. I've been dreaming about a beautiful chocolate pearl in RG.
