Buying a certified lab-grown diamond piece is the first decision. The second, which determines how that piece looks and performs five, ten, and twenty years from now, is how you care for it.
Most jewellery damage happens gradually and invisibly. A prong weakened by repeated contact with hard surfaces. A gold setting slowly dulled by exposure to chemicals. A stone scratched by improper storage. None of these are dramatic events. All of them are preventable.
This guide from Goenka Jewellers covers everything an owner of certified lab-grown diamond jewellery needs to know to protect their pieces for the long term.
First: Understanding What You Own
A lab-grown diamond is physically and chemically identical to a mined diamond. It has a hardness of 10 on the Mohs scale, the highest of any natural material, which means it is extremely resistant to scratching. However, hardness and toughness are different properties. A diamond can chip or cleave along specific crystal planes if struck at the right angle with significant force. It is nearly impossible to scratch but not completely indestructible.
The gold settings that hold lab-grown diamond pieces are softer than the diamonds themselves. 14K gold has a Mohs hardness of approximately 3 to 4, and 18K gold is slightly softer. This means the metal requires more conscious care than the stone.
Everything in this guide follows from those two facts: the diamond is hard but not unbreakable, and the gold setting requires more protection than the stone it holds.
The Essential Dos
Do: Store Each Piece Separately
Diamonds can scratch other diamonds, and diamonds will absolutely scratch gold. Storing multiple jewellery pieces loose in a single drawer or box means every time the box moves, pieces are scratching each other.
The correct approach is individual storage for each piece: in the original box it came in, in a fabric-lined jewellery box with separate compartments, or in individual soft pouches. At Goenka Jewellers, every piece comes in its own presentation box, which doubles as the ideal long-term storage solution.
Do: Put Jewellery On Last and Take It Off First
The correct order when getting dressed is: outfit, makeup, perfume, hair products, and then jewellery. Perfume, hairspray, and cosmetics contain chemicals that accumulate on diamond and gold surfaces over time and dull both the stone and the metal. Putting jewellery on last means these products are already dry and settled before the jewellery makes contact.
When undressing, take jewellery off first. This prevents accidental catches on clothing and the impact damage that can happen when a ring or bracelet strikes a hard surface during undressing.
Do: Remove Jewellery Before Physical Activity
This is the single care instruction that prevents the most damage. Remove lab-grown diamond rings, bracelets, and bangles before any physical activity involving the hands: gym workouts, rock climbing, team sports, heavy household tasks, and gardening. Impact against weights, gym equipment, or hard surfaces is the most common cause of chipped diamonds and bent prong settings.
Rings are particularly vulnerable during gym workouts. The combination of grip force and metal-on-metal contact between a ring and a barbell or dumbbell can bend prongs, loosen stones, or deform the ring shank over time.
Do: Clean Regularly at Home
Regular home cleaning maintains brilliance and prevents the build-up of oils and residues that can accelerate metal dullness and, in extreme cases, affect prong integrity. The complete step-by-step home cleaning process is covered in our How to Clean Lab-Grown Diamond Jewellery at Home: Step-by-Step Guide 2026. For everyday pieces, a home clean every two to three weeks is the ideal frequency.
Do: Get Annual Professional Inspections
A professional inspection at Goenka Jewellers once a year, or once every six months for pieces worn daily, covers two things that home care cannot: a professional-grade clean that reaches areas a toothbrush cannot, and a setting inspection that checks prong integrity, stone security, and metal condition under magnification.
A prong that is beginning to thin or bend is completely invisible to the naked eye but shows clearly under a jeweller's loupe. Catching and repairing a weakening prong costs far less than resetting a stone that has fallen out of an undetected damaged setting.
Do: Insure Significant Pieces
For pieces above Rs 50,000 in value, jewellery insurance is a meaningful protection that most Indian homeowners' policies do not automatically include. At Goenka Jewellers, the IGI or GIA certificate that accompanies every lab-grown diamond piece provides the documentation required for an insurance appraisal. Keep your certificates in a safe place separately from the jewellery itself.
The Essential Don'ts
Don't: Wear Diamond Jewellery in Swimming Pools or Hot Tubs
Chlorine is the primary hazard. Prolonged chlorine exposure affects gold alloys, particularly the copper in rose gold and the nickel in some white gold alloys. It can cause micro-pitting and surface damage to the metal that accumulates with repeated exposure. Remove all gold and diamond jewellery before entering a pool, hot tub, or the ocean.
Salt water is a secondary concern. Prolonged saltwater exposure can similarly affect gold alloys over time, though the effect is slower than chlorine. Make it a habit to remove all jewellery before any water activity.
Don't: Apply Products While Wearing Diamond Jewellery
Hand cream, body lotion, sunscreen, perfume, and hairspray all leave residue on diamonds and gold that accumulates into the dull film responsible for most everyday loss of brilliance. The discipline of applying all products before putting on jewellery eliminates this source of residue almost entirely.
Sanitiser is a specific concern in the post-2020 era. Repeated hand sanitiser contact, which most people now use multiple times daily, contains alcohol that can affect the rhodium plating on white gold settings over time. Either remove rings when sanitising or replate white gold pieces more frequently.
Don't: Store Jewellery in the Bathroom
The bathroom environment, with its humidity fluctuations, steam, and exposure to cleaning chemical vapours, is the worst place to store fine jewellery. Humidity cycling can affect prong integrity over long periods, and cleaning chemical vapours from bathroom cleaners and bleach can affect gold alloys. Store all diamond jewellery in a bedroom or dressing room environment away from humidity and chemical exposure.
Don't: Clean with Abrasives or Harsh Chemicals
Toothpaste, baking soda, and abrasive household cleaners will micro-scratch gold settings over time. Bleach, ammonia, acetone, and chlorine-based cleaners can damage gold alloys and affect surface finishes. The correct cleaning method, warm water and mild dish soap with a soft toothbrush, is described in full in our cleaning guide linked below. Nothing else is needed or beneficial.
Don't: Ignore a Loose Stone
If you feel or hear a stone moving in its setting when you tap the piece gently, or if a stone looks slightly tilted from its original position, stop wearing the piece immediately and bring it to Goenka Jewellers. A loose stone will fall out. A stone that has not yet fallen out can be re-secured with a relatively minor prong adjustment. A lost stone requires a full stone replacement, which is significantly more expensive and may not achieve an identical match.
Don't: Use Ultrasonic Cleaners at Home Without Assessment
Ultrasonic cleaning devices generate high-frequency vibrations that can loosen prong settings, particularly in pavé rings and multi-stone pieces. Professional jewellers assess each piece before ultrasonic cleaning and know which pieces it is appropriate for. Home ultrasonic cleaning without that assessment risks loosening settings in ways that may not be immediately apparent but result in stone loss later.
Special Care Notes by Piece Type
Rings: The highest-risk category because they are in constant contact with hard surfaces. Remove before any physical activity. Check prongs every six months. Rose gold rings show wear faster than yellow or white gold due to the copper alloy's relative softness.
Earrings: The lowest-risk category for physical damage. The primary care requirement is cleaning to prevent oil build-up from the ear canal and skin. Check butterfly backs regularly and replace if they feel loose.
Necklaces and pendants: Check the clasp and jump ring connecting the pendant to the chain at each cleaning. Fine chain links can weaken at stress points over time. A broken chain is a recoverable situation. A lost pendant because of a broken clasp is not.
Bangles and bracelets: Remove before physical activity involving the wrists. Check the clasp security regularly. Tennis bracelets with individually set stones should receive professional inspection annually to check that all stones are secure.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do lab-grown diamonds last compared to natural diamonds?
Lab-grown diamonds last exactly as long as natural diamonds, which is indefinitely. A diamond is the hardest natural material on Earth, and a lab-grown diamond has identical hardness, chemical structure, and durability. With proper care of the gold setting that holds it, a lab-grown diamond piece purchased today will be in perfect condition in fifty years.
Will a lab-grown diamond lose its brilliance over time?
The diamond itself does not lose brilliance. The loss of brilliance you notice over time is from the accumulation of oils, residues, and dust on the surface of the stone, which blocks light entry and exit. Regular home cleaning completely restores brilliance. The stone itself does not change.
How do I know if a prong is damaged on my diamond ring?
Signs of prong damage include: a prong that appears shorter or thinner than the others, a prong tip that appears bent or rounded away from the stone, a rough edge when you run the ring across a soft cloth (a snag indicates a bent prong), or any movement in the stone when you tap the ring gently. Any of these signs means immediate professional inspection before further wearing.
Is it safe to wear lab-grown diamond jewellery while cooking?
Remove rings and bracelets before cooking. Food preparation involves repeated hand washing, contact with cooking oils and acids, and grip-intensive tasks that accumulate residue and can stress prong settings. Earrings and necklaces are generally safe during cooking as they do not contact food preparation surfaces.
Does Goenka Jewellers offer repair and maintenance services for lab-grown diamond jewellery?
Yes. Goenka Jewellers offers professional cleaning, prong re-tipping, prong replacement, rhodium replating for white gold pieces, clasp replacement, chain repair, and stone re-setting. All repairs are carried out by experienced jewellers on the original piece. We recommend bringing in any piece showing signs of setting wear rather than waiting for stone loss to occur.
The Bottom Line
A certified lab-grown diamond piece from Goenka Jewellers is a long-term investment in beauty. The stone itself requires almost no maintenance. The gold setting that holds it requires conscious, consistent care that is not difficult but must be deliberate.
Store pieces individually. Remove before physical activity, swimming, and chemical exposure. Clean regularly at home. Get an annual professional inspection. Respond immediately to any sign of a loose stone or damaged prong. These five habits protect a lab-grown diamond piece for decades.
For the complete step-by-step home cleaning guide, read our How to Clean Lab-Grown Diamond Jewellery at Home: Step-by-Step Guide 2026. For understanding what you own and how lab-grown compares to natural diamonds, read our Lab Grown Diamond vs Natural Diamond: Which Is Winning in 2026. Then explore the complete certified lab-grown diamond jewellery collection at Goenka Jewellers.