Tips for engagement ring care

During my professional years of being a jeweler, I have noticed that so many women do not like their engagement ring after a few years, for they think that it is not as sparkly as it was the first day. In this post, I will explain to you ladies how to take care of your engagement ring so that you still like it after many years.

How to take care of my engagement ring? There are several to dos and not to dos, which you need to consider in taking care of your engagement ring.

Dos: Don’ts:

Clean it Touch its diamond a lot

Wear it in public Have it on in hands-on activities

Insure it Resize it too often

Take it for checking Have it on while touching harsh chemicals

Keep its dish around Put it next to other jewels

An engagement ring is the most precious and symbolic gift you ever receive, so you essentially need an engagement ring care guide. The following lines are dedicated to explaining to you the HOWs of maintaining your engagement ring’s sparkle and WHENs of cleaning it.

How often should I clean my engagement ring?

Every woman wants the radiance of her diamond engagement ring to remain. There is a lot of dirt and pollution, such as oil and dust, which will lessen your diamond’s sparkle. To avoid dirt and pollution, regular cleanings are very important tasks that you need to undergo. Cleaning helps you keep your engagement ring shiny-a repeated concern.

If you wish a professional jeweler to do the big cleaning for you, every six months is adequate. The advantage of taking your ring for cleaning to a jeweler, in addition to its professionalism, is that you can simultaneously check it. Otherwise, you can clean it at home four times per year. If you are interested in the second option, you need to know how to clean your engagement ring at home.

How should I clean my engagement ring?

Knowing how to clean your ring is one of the important engagement ring care tips. Take the following steps to clean your engagement ring:

1. Prepare a bowl of lukewarm water. Pour one drop of detergent and stir it to solve in water. Remember that using chlorine-based detergents.

2. Leave your ring in the bowel for almost 30 minutes to remove dirt and oil.

3. After 20 to 30 minutes, remove your ring and clean it gently by using a bristle brush. Do not forget to brush each side, back, and edges of the ring.

4. Place the ring in the bowel again and clean all the remaining dirt by brushing.

5. Remove the ring again and rinse it thoroughly with water.

6. Dry your engagement ring with a hairdryer or a lint-free piece of clothing. Do not remove your ring in the air to dry because it causes the remaining water stain.

Now both the precious metal band and the diamond are clean and shiny.

Is it safer if I always have my ring on?

It is indeed a fact that most of the ladies do not want to be separated from their token of love, but it is not the best decision for caring for their diamond ring. It is one of the most important engagement ring care guides to remove your engagement ring sometimes. You certainly need to take off your engagement ring when:

You are doing some heavy handy tasks: Take off your ring during house chores like moving furniture and organizing your kitchen cabinets. While doing exercises, such as weightlifting, paddle boarding, playing soccer, basketball, tennis, and golf, it is also necessary to remove your ring.

Hand-on activities produce extra pressure, and can result in changes to your ring shape. You can simply leave your ring at home. Chemical cosmetics, like hair sprayers, also damage your engagement ring. I briefly recommend putting off your engagement ring in all exercises, except for walking and jogging.

You are gardening: The soil and dirt can damage your ring, and your ring can become loose and so get lost.

You are taking a shower: Take off your ring during showering, for your slippery fingers can cause you to lose your ring and soaps can dull and scratch your engagement stone.

You are using cosmetic preparations: Moisturizers and lotions are useful and recommended for your skin, but these friends of the skin are the enemies of the engagement ring. After using them, wait until your hands dry completely before wearing your ring.

You are cooking: When you are cooking, bacteria and germs become the inhabitants of your ring. Besides, your ring may slip off with all other things in the kitchen sink. Syrups and sticky foods also do not go well with your engagement ring.

You are working with machines: Take off your ring while working with electrical and electronic devices.

You are traveling: There are potential risks when you are traveling. Your fingers may swell in the airplane, you may mount climb, you may go to the beach, you may get robbed, and you may be dealing with fast activities, and they all are threats for your rings’ safety.

You are dealing with heavy metals: Remove your engagement ring if your job deals with heavy metals or tools.

You are sleeping: Do you want to show your engagement ring to the public? That is more than understandable! However, when you want to go to bed, I recommend you to take off your engagement ring for the potential risks of damage.

Do not worry, your engagement ring is the first thing you wear and the last thing you remove.

You are working: If you work in an office, it is OK if you want to wear your diamond ring. However, if your workplace has the potential danger of losing your engagement ring, I recommend placing it in its box.

You are going swimming: Whether you are at the beach or in a swimming pool, it is better to take off your engagement ring. The water of both the sea and swimming pool contains salt, which rots what it meets with after a while.

The water in a swimming pool has chlorine, in addition to salt, which is one of the forbidden chemical elements we mentioned. Even after you are out of the water, the prong may stick to your towel and get loosened. Therefore, you can put your diamond engagement ring back on as soon as you are clean and dry.

The other side of the coin, however, is the conventional and emotional notion that an engagement ring has for both the lady and the gentleman. If you feel like you must have it on all the time, I advise you to take care of your engagement ring while you are busy with one of the mentioned items above. Also, always have a ring dish around so that you can put it on as soon as you are done with your job. 

How can I keep my engagement ring shiny?

Since it is the most valuable possession of your life, you ladies certainly care for your diamond rings and want to take care of them. The engagement ring care tips below help you keep your engagement ring sparkling:

Do not touch its stone a lot: While putting your ring on and taking it off, do not touch its stone. Particularly diamonds absorb oil easily and being exposed to a lot of touching causes the stone to lose its original sparkle. Hold two sides of the metal band with your thumb and index tightly. Then, gently take off or put on your engagement ring.

Do not have it on while touching harsh chemicals: Metals react to harsh chemicals. Chlorine, solvents, detergents, and bleaches destroy the sparkle of your metal. Therefore, do not wear your engagement ring while doing kitchen chores, swimming in the swimming pool, and saunas.

Even moisturizers and lotions make your ring look dull. That is the reason you need to keep its dish around, so you can take it off easily being sure that it will not get lost and you are not causing damage to the ring.

Clean it: Even if you do not touch the diamond while wearing and removing the ring, it absorbs the oil and dust of the environment. So, you need to clean it once in a while. A few tips are:

Vodka can be the best way for returning the diamond’s sparkle. Soak your engagement ring in a glass of vodka for 30 minutes. Then, rinse it off with warm water and dry it with a lint-free cloth.

Remember not to use bleaches, acetones, baking sodas, or any powdered cleaners for cleaning. They have a negative effect on the metal in future.

Because paper towels may cause some scratches, do not use them for drying your engagement ring.

Do not use a metal tool to remove the dirt.

Take it for checking: Apart from checking the safety of the setting and diamond, take your diamond engagement ring to a jeweler. After a few years, the oxygen will tarnish your metal band. Then, the band needs to be:

Polished if it is made of platinum or yellow gold

Dipped if it is made of white gold.

Do not put your diamond ring next to other jewels: Keep your diamond engagement ring in a soft place, like a fabric box, away from other pieces of fine jewelry. The reason is that a diamond is the toughest stone on the earth and can scratch other jewels’ stones or bands.

That also means, if you have other jewels with diamonds as their stones, you need to keep your engagement ring away from them, for your engagement rings can get hurt too. You need to care for the diamond ring more than other jewels.

Bonus tip: The premier step to take to have a shiny ring is to buy a sparkly diamond. Since that information is out of the scope of this post, I recommend reading another related blog post by clicking on the link below:

How To Choose a Sparkly Diamond?

Is it bad to sleep with my ring on?

Sleeping with your engagement ring is not a very good idea. Although sleeping with your engagement ring is not considered a real threat, but it is “better safe than sorry.” Some of the possible risks can be:

You may find it difficult to remove the ring in the morning as a result of swelling during sleep

The setting of your ring may stick in your hair or your bedsheet, so the prongs may become loosened or lost

If you have the habit of sleeping with your hands tucked beneath yourself, you may cause extra pressure on your ring and result in its deformity

You or your partner may accidentally scratch the metal band or stone of your engagement ring while sleeping

You may accidentally cut yourself or your partner while moving your hand in sleep

How should I protect my ring from getting lost?

The beauty and life span of engagement rings increases when you take good care of them. You care for your engagement ring as much as you do for your relationship since it is the sign of how it all started. When you make sure that the safety of your ring is guaranteed, you can pass on the valuable investment to the next generations. Therefore, apply the engagement ring care guides below to protect it from being lost or stolen:

Do not forget the warranty: We take this item as the foremost, for you young man need to consider it before being engaged. Choose a diamond engagement ring with a trustful warranty. An acceptable and appropriate ring and stone warranty includes: Cleaning services, repair, replacement, free prong tightening, and re-polishing. Take special care when selecting a vendor way before you purchase the ring.

If you do not have the habit of wearing your engagement ring all the time or you do not wear your engagement ring while traveling, in either case, provide a safe box to store your ring. The ring box needs to be both fireproof and lockable. Besides, do not forget to choose a jewelry box that has fabric dividers which prevent rubbing your engagement ring with the other jewels.

Insurance is a must! The undeniable reality is your diamond engagement ring has great value, especially from an emotional aspect. Therefore, if it is lost, stolen, or damaged, you cannot compensate it easily.

If any of the misfortunes happen, something can provide momentary relief for you: ring insurance. Your husband can purchase a rider in case he has any of these insurances: homeowners or renters. The ideal insurance is full coverage of the ring. In other words, if your ring is stolen, you can buy the same ring.

If he has not insured the ring already, do it yourself. You can ensure your ring as soon as you buy it exactly like when you insure your car before you start driving it. For providing insurance, you need a description of your engagement ring, which includes – its carat weight, kind of metal, cut and appraisal. You can also submit a photo of your ring.

The cost of coverage will be determined by some factors; such as your ring value, your settlement, etc.

For about each $100 of ring value, the estimated cost for insurance is $1 to $2. Be cautious to choose the right insurance. Moreover, remember to ask them the right questions:

Can I choose the jeweler to repair my engagement ring?

What are the required proofs if I claim that my engagement ring has vanished?

If there is no suitable replacement, what is the next plan?

What are the coverage situations?

Is my insurance valid when I am abroad?

Is the coverage for damages as well or it is just for loss steal?

Is there any coverage for mysterious disappearances as well?

If there is any replacement insurance (instead of cash compensation), should I purchase my diamond ring from specific stores or wherever I want?

You need someone to appraise your diamond ring at least every five years, for the value of jewelry may change. Your appraisal accuracy is incredibly important because you may lose money after a while if otherwise. The rule of thumb is not to change your appraiser. We have the honor to appraise your rings with our updated gemologist jewelers in Wedding Bands Co. for everyone, including the customers who bought their engagement ring from us.

If you have a diamond ring, you should get a diamond certificate from a gemological laboratory that evaluates color, carat weight, clarity and cut for diamonds. Such an assessment is needed for an appraiser to make accurate measurements of the value of the diamond. If your diamond ring is stolen, you can track your ring easier if you have its certificate available.

Take your ring to a professional jeweler for checking: You can check you ring yourself by placing it between two fingers, taking it close to your ears and shaking it; if there is even a minor noise, it means that your ring should be tightened and you have to take it to a jeweler for fixing.

However, the safer way is to take your ring to the jeweler twice a year. The Wedding Bands Co. checks your ring accurately and helps you feel relieved that nothing will happen to your precious possession.

If it is hard for you to remember when exactly the due time is, make this agreement with yourself: take your ring for checking on your anniversary and a half anniversary every year. That way, you will always remember when to check your ring’s stability and safety. Apart from checking your ring, be cautious about the signs of vulnerability:

Prong: If you see any changes in your prongs, for example, one prong is shorter than the other, any of them is bent, or any other damage, do not fix it yourself and take it to your jeweler before the diamond is lost.

Center stone: The most vulnerable part of your ring is its stone, so be so super careful about it. Are there any changes in your center stone shape, cuts, or can you see any rotation?

Wear your engagement ring in public: Try to never take your diamond engagement ring off in a public place, especially restrooms. You can end up leaving it behind in the place or desperately seeing it go down the drain. Another possible incident is that someone, who is probably faster than you are, takes your ring and you may never get the chance of taking it back.

If you intend to remove your ring in any public location, foresee the safety of your ring by taking its box for storage. While you are shopping in a changing room and you do not have a safe place to put your ring in, twist your ring so that the diamond is on the palm side. This way you are protecting your ring from both getting lost and loosening its prongs.

Take off your ring during cooking: When you are busy cooking so hard and fast, your diamond ring may slip off with all other materials you are cooking in the kitchen sink.

Take off your ring while swimming: Whether you swim in a swimming pool as your professional exercise or as entertainment in an ocean or the sea on a vacation, I strongly suggest taking off your engagement ring before you face the desperate situation of trying to find it in the water. While swimming, especially in cold water, your fingers shrink and the chance of your ring slipping off your finger is high. Therefore, you can wear it as soon as you are out of water and dry.

Take off your ring while you are in the gym: While you are exercising, sweat wets your finger, and the ring may fall off. Besides, knocks can cause your ring to twist or the center stone may suddenly fall off and get lost.

Take off your ring while gardening: For the same reason as exercises, it is better to remove your engagement ring while gardening. You may lose the precious stone while busy with the labor.

Keep your engagement ring’s dish available: You can place your ring in its lockbox and keep it safe from the potential damages of house chores, public places, and hands-on activities. You can simply have a ring dish in your kitchen and carry another in your bag with you.

Do not resize your ring too often: Your finger size changes during some periods of life, such as weight fluctuations of pregnancy and postpartum. Seasonal changes can also cause your fingers to swell. Instead of resizing your ring continually, you can store it in a safe place to use it when it fits again.

Otherwise, resizing your ring more than once causes fragility of the ring and you may damage it unintentionally. Some jewelry stores ask their costumers about the location of their living and provide useful suggestions.

Do not take your diamond ring with you when traveling: You may think it is too pessimistic, but I truly suggest you not to have your ring on during the whole journey. Your diamond engagement ring is one of your financial investments, and you need to care for it.

Therefore, you can place your engagement and wedding ring in your house and wear a stunt double instead. A stunt double is a ring so similar to your engagement ring, made of the same metal and a cubic zirconia stone instead of the real diamond. Then, you can entertain freely and without any concern on your trip even if you are robbed. 

Is it bad to clean your engagement ring every day?

There is such a thing as cleaning a diamond ring too much. I understand that you like your marvelous stone sparkle all the time, professional cleaning may loosen the prongs. If the setting of your ring has micro-pavé diamonds, even daily cleaning might loosen or out one of the stones. Twice a year for big cleaning and once every month at home are fine.

Should I wear my engagement ring all the time?

The answer is unclear. An engagement ring can symbolize commitment, while the essence of marriage originates in the emotional union between the two souls. However, we cannot give a certain answer to that question, for it depends on individual beliefs. Take this couple as an instance:

When Is It Okay To Take Off Your Wedding Ring?

How does a jeweler clean my ring?

We clean your engagement ring via an ultrasonic machine. This particular machine cleans almost every single bit off your ring. If you need more information about the how and how much of a big cleaning, take a quick look at the content of the link below:

How Often Should You Clean Your Engagement Ring?

Why should not I resize my engagement ring multiple times?

Resizing is the process of heating, adding and taking metals away. The repetition of this process makes your ring weak and brittle. Not resizing your ring more than once is one of the most essential engagement ring care tips. Since it is one of the promised free services of your engagement ring the first day bought it, we happily resize your ring once for you. 

Why should I come to you to design my ring?

We involve you in every step of the process. At first, we will sit next to you and go over any concerns you have and any specific design elements you mind the ring to have. Once we have established exactly how you want the ring looks like, we will proceed with the design process. Once you see this design, if you want to make any change or if you have any questions or concerns we will be happy to address them for you. Our role is to help you to create the perfect ring and that means we will listen to you and make sure that your ring is indeed one of a kind.

We'll help you to design your dream engagement ring without stress and spending countless hours searching for your perfect ring. All you need to do is click on "Free Consultation" to get started.

By: Koorosh Daneshgar CEO/Design Chief

Email: Koorosh@WeddingBandscompany.com