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Why did my gold mounting turn black

I wanted to clean my diamond ring which is set in 14c gold, so I put it in water with dish washing detergent and put it on the stove to boil. I forgot about it, but when returned, the water had disappeared and the ring had continued to be heated on high temp and the gold had turned black. the diamond is fine. How do I clean the mounting? unfortunately the vessel I was boiling it in was not stainless steel but a black non stick surface...could that turn gold black?

Nishat Siddiqi
housewife - Cumberland, Rhode Island
July 4, 2010

July 7, 2010

Hi, Nishat. I think you're lucky your diamond didn't crack. I would take the ring to a good jeweler as I think s/he will have to mechanically polish away the discoloration. I don't think you will succeed with any low skill level chemical method. Good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey

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