QuestionI was working on a school project and got superglue onto the tiny cz stones on my white gold ring. There is now a dried white film over the metal of the ring and on the stones. I read that an acetone soak will remove the glue from the metal, but will it damage the stones?
AnswerHi, Amanda. Thanks for this question.
From the first time someone glued their fingers together with super glue, it was obvious a quick fix solvent was needed. Acetone is that solvent in cases where the acetone will not cause even added damage. Acetone used to be in finger nail polish remover and that was often used to clean up super glue messes.
CZ stones are cut from lab grown crystals of cubic zirconium. Compared to many natural stones, CZ is quite durable and is hard enough for good wear in jewelry. The solid crystalline structure is not bothered in the least by acetone. Feel free to use acetone to clean your stones. Following that cleaning, you should wash the ring with a mild dish detergent to remove any traces of dissolved glue before it get a chance to dry and show up again as a film.
What I do is put the ring in a small zip-lock baggie with acetone, close the bag and put it in an ultrasonic cleaner for a while. This helps clean from recesses. If you cannot get all the glue off, a jeweler may do the acetone and baggie trick for you.
Acetone is smelly, flammable and not something you want to breath much of. Keep fresh air going by while using the acetone. Soak a while and if needed rub with cloth and acetone. I suggest wearing rubber gloves if you have a pair.
Amanda, there you go! All should clean up fine. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
