- 1). Clean a lab-created sapphire with a soft cloth dipped in soapy, slightly warm water. Rub the stone gently, then rinse thoroughly with warm water. Dry the lab-created sapphire with a soft, dry towel and let it air-dry thoroughly before wearing. For deep cleaning, lab-created sapphires can be placed in an ultrasonic or steam jewelry cleaner, available from many jewelry stores and websites. Avoid this if you are unsure whether or not your sapphire is lab-created; natural sapphires have small fissures and cracks called inclusions, and ultrasonic cleaners have caused natural sapphires to crack if the inclusions are significant.
- 2). Store lab-created sapphire jewelry in a small, soft bag away from other pieces of jewelry. Lab-created sapphires, like their natural counterparts, rate a nine on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Rubies and emeralds are equally strong, and diamonds are the only stone capable of scratching a sapphire. Sapphires may scratch or chip other pieces of jewelry when stored in the same box or traveling jewelry container; storing them in their own pouch keeps all of your jewelry intact.
- 3). Remove lab-created sapphires before engaging your hands in vigorous physical labor. Dish soap will not harm lab-created sapphires, but wearing a ring while washing dishes could result in scratches on your dishes and glasses, and the water may loosen the setting of your ring with prolonged exposure. Leave lab-created sapphires in the house while gardening or working on your car to limit their exposure to dirt and grease.
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