Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners use high-frequency waves to create small bubbles in a liquid that remove dirt from jewelry. Some require special cleaning fluid, while others only need water. Delicate jewelry and gemstones may be damaged, and some cleaners have more complex designs.
An ultrasonic jewelry cleaner works by creating high-frequency waves in a liquid. The jewelry to be cleaned is placed in this liquid, where the rapid movement of the water creates very small bubbles that hit the surface to be cleaned and pull any dirt to the bottom of the liquid container. Some ultrasonic jewelry cleaners require a special type of cleaning fluid to help remove dirt more effectively, while others require just water. Many types of jewelry made from hard metals can be cleaned in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner, but some delicate designs and gemstones could break if run in such a machine.
The basic mechanism used in an ultrasonic jewelry cleaner is a device that creates a high-frequency sound called a transducer. This signal enters the liquid, which must be viscous enough for waves to move through it quickly, and begins to generate very small bubbles. The higher the frequency of the sound, the smaller the bubbles will be. These bubbles move through the liquid and hit the surface of the jewelry to be cleaned, causing the dirt to fall off.
For certain types of stains and dirt on jewelry, it may be necessary to use a liquid cleaner in water. This can save you from having to run a piece of jewelry through an ultrasonic cleaner repeatedly until the stains are slowly removed. A low powered ultrasonic jewelry cleaner may require cleaning fluid to function properly. These can be simple ammonia solutions or more complex solvents.
The ultrasonic waves that are emitted in the water only come in contact with the jewelry for a few minutes at a time, depending on the design of the machine. Very powerful ultrasonic jewelry cleaners can cause damage to fragile jewelry or gemstones. Specifically, stones such as pearls can be damaged by an ultrasonic cleaner. Similarly, jewelry that is very fragile or very delicate in construction could be damaged. Leaving jewelry in the cleaner for longer than the recommended cycle can also cause damage.
Some ultrasonic jewelry cleaners have very simple designs, consisting only of a transducer, a timer, and a container to hold the water; This is where the jewelry is placed for cleaning. Other designs are more complex and provide trays that allow jewelry to be secured in place before being lowered. Some designs even come with a mechanism that rotates slowly within the liquid, so pieces like bracelets can be snapped together and then rotated as they’re cleaned.
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