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Have you recently acquired a schmancy new engagement ring? I'm guessing since you're on a wedding blog, that you may just be rocking a rock. Then again, we're down for all flavors, so you may be going ring-less, opting for a ring tattoo, or other ring alternatives. Just in case you ARE sporting some bling, here are our top ring care tips for keeping your engagement or wedding band in top shape.
Keep it dry
Soap and other chemicals can dull surfaces and leave a film, so take off your ring before washing your hands, bathing, or putting on sunscreen, creams, and lotions. Water can also shrink your fingers making it easier to slip off. Just make sure to snag it up before you leave the bathroom or keep it in a special holder while you wash.
Store it solo
Keep your ring stored by itself so other metals don't scratch it. Give it its own bed in your jewelry box or wrap it with some cloth.
Keep it in a no-chemical zone
Don't store your ring near cleaning chemicals and supplies and don't wear it while cleaning. Or if you do, toss on some rubber gloves to protect it.
Take it off when you're doing manual labor
When you'll be using your hands, like with yard work, moving, working out, and other times when your hand will be in contact with rough things and moving around a lot, store your ring in a safe place. You never know when you'll whack your hand on something hard and damage the surface of your ring.
Take it off while cooking
Dough, sauces, and powders can get caught in the prongs and dull surfaces. Wear gloves or store your ring while you go all Iron Chef.
Get regular maintenance
Every six months or so, take your ring to a jeweler for cleaning, inspecting, and any care it might need.
Consider having it insured
If you opt for a pricier ring (totally not required!), consider getting it insured in case of loss, theft, or damage. In most cases, you'll need to provide a description of the ring, a close-up photo, and an appraisal.
Need more ring tips?
About the Author: Catherine Clark
Catherine Clark loiters at her local library, makes art, watches movies en masse, plays video and tabletop games, poorly cooks healthy things, cuddles with her feline fur babies, and blogs at BijouxandBits.com.
This is all good advice, but I have to admit I don’t do most of it. My ring is a gorgeous piece of jewellery but most importantly it is a gift my husband gave to me and I like to wear it pretty much 100% of the time. I find that moisturizer, food, garden dirt, etc. all come off just fine with soap and water when I wash my hands. I hope I’m not doing any permanent damage but I do the twice-a-year ring inspections as this article recommends and so far it is fine. Those inspections are great to do, both for a professional cleaning and to keep your warrentee valid (if you have one). Also, with regard to the insurance, your ring may be covered under your homeowner’s or renter’s policy (depends on the policy, and the value of the ring) but you might need to inform your insurance broker that the ring has been acquired. We did that and got a nice note of congratulations on our engagement–and the insurance does cover the ring in our case!
I’ve had mine since January, and I haven’t had any problems so far. *knock on wood* My mom told me never to take it off when washing my hands, she almost lost hers in a public restroom that way when she first got engaged. I do take it off when running, showering, and using harsh chemicals for cleaning, and I did buy a special ring dish to keep it in when I’m not wearing it. I have not done an inspection yet, I have found soap and water work just fine for cleaning it. It is still as shiny as the matching wedding band, which I haven’t worn yet. I might take it for a cleaning before the wedding though, just to make sure everything’s ok.
The reason I take it off when running/working out is because it tends to slip off my finger when I get sweaty. I was walking down the street a couple of weekends ago, and I saw a jogger wandering around in tears because her ring had slipped off. I stopped to help her look for it, and we did find it eventually, but I could totally empathize with her panic. It would’ve been terrible if it had fallen down a drain or something.
We just bought a house and took out a new insurance policy, it didn’t even occur to me to ask about ring insurance! Great idea, I think I’ll give them a call tomorrow!
Same here. My degree is actually in jewelrysmithing so the jeweler in me is like “yeah, great advice!” But I can tell you right now… the only times I’ve taken off my ring in the past 4 years are when I’m doing something REALLY messy (like masonry) or when I’m seriously concerned about losing it (I generally leave it home when I’m on vacation). The bottom of the shank is a little scratched up but otherwise it’s held up fine. I clean it with diluted ammonia from time to time as soap leaves a film on the surface of the stones which eventually builds up and makes them look dull.
I baby my rings. I have a cotton cloth to dry them of skin oils after taking them off for the night. Any lotions I put on I wait a half hour before slipping the rings back on. I won’t shower with them on, they come off when I do “dirty” things like cleaning, and taking out the garbage. I must say though I have silver rings so I treat them the best I can, as silver is softer and tarnishes quite easily. It helps significantly to just dry my skin oils off before slipping them into their case.
Also a good tidbit. Don’t store jewellery in the bathroom.
This seems a bit extreme to me (and the article seems a bit much also).
I haven’t taken my ring off once in the past 2 years (I shower with it, do yard work with it, put lotion on with it, etc.), and it still looks perfectly fine. If it gets a tiny bit scratched, who cares? I’d rather live my life, with my ring a part of who I am, than have to make tiresome accommodations to keep it as shiny as when I got it. So what if it isn’t as shiny? It’s “lived in”
Maybe in twenty years I will want to buy another ring to replace mine, or maybe mine will still be perfectly fine. I couldn’t imagine doing everything you do to keep yours nice!
I do respect your commitment to your ring!
I have sterling silver rings; they don’t tarnish and they barely get scratched (though they do bend out of shape, or rather bend to fit my fingers’ shapes rather than being round). The only reason I take them off when applying lotion is because it makes it easier to rub the lotion in, then they go right back on – if I left them off for 30 minutes I’d probably forget to put them back on for hours! Other than that they’re on all the time, swimming (including in the sea), showering, gardening, swordfighting, horseriding whatever, and they’re fine even after a decade. And gold rings tend to be even tougher. I would be rubbish at babying my rings!
I do think this is good advice, if you have time to follow it. First time round, I had my ring repaired twice before deciding it just wasn’t compatible with my hands-on lifestyle. Maybe it was an omen, because not long after, the husband also decided he was not compatible with me 🙂 This time round, I have asked not to have an engagement ring and I am proudly ringless. I simply don’t want to have the hassle and worry, and I much prefer the look of a plain wedding band on my finger. So, right after we discussed marriage, I found myself the perfect wedding band – hammered palladium that will withstand everything I throw at it, and I shall never take it off. He, incidentally, has chosen steel for his wedding ring, for the same reason.
For cleaning jewellery made of gold, silver, or even stainless steel I would recommend the cleaning plates that work by electrolytic reaction. It’s basically a sheet of aluminium which you put in a bowl with hot water and soda crystals. You submerge whatever you’re cleaning, making sure it’s touching the plate or touching another object that’s touching the plate. This is awesome for intricate work, filigree, engraving etc, although if you have engraving which is oxidised (to make the detail darker so it stands out) then that will be “cleaned off” too!
I also clean jewellery with an old, soft toothbrush and a bit of shower gel – it doesn’t seem to dull the surface, but that might be because every so often I clean using the magic plate too. Additionally, I’ve heard toothpaste is very good for cleaning jewellery, particularly stones; I would guess because some kinds are mildly abrasive, which may not be good for softer stones like opals.
Here are a few links to the plates in case anyone’s interested. If anyone reads this in a few years (it’s 2017 now) the links might not work, but a search for “silver cleaning” on eBay or Amazon should find examples (along with other cleaning products).
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tableau-Silver-Cleaner-Cleaning-Plate-TCP-/261388192219?hash=item3cdbf349db:g:ktAAAOxyOMdS7O~a
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SILVER-LIGHTNING-METAL-CLEANER-/262511624549?hash=item3d1ee98165:m:mwoyxvmKgWgr6CAqzOiVoiA
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Wenko-7585100-Silver-Cleaner-Aluminium/dp/B003IX0DEO/ref=sr_1_19?ie=UTF8&qid=1483834633&sr=8-19&keywords=silver+cleaner
For cleaning jewellery, cutlery etc made of gold, silver, or even stainless steel I would recommend the cleaning plates that work by electrolytic reaction. It’s basically a sheet of aluminium which you put in a bowl with hot water and soda crystals (I’ve also seen some that work with salt). You submerge whatever you’re cleaning, making sure it’s touching the plate or touching another object that’s touching the plate. It doesn’t take long, and if there’s some particularly stubborn dirt it can then be easily wiped off – this worked really well on some old silver-plated cutlery that had been sat in a drawer for years.
This method is awesome for intricate work like filigree and engraving, although if you have engraving which is oxidised (to make the detail darker so it stands out) then that might be “cleaned off” too! It’s really quick and easy, you can reuse the metal plate repeatedly, and it’s not expensive (I think mine was around £11 a few years ago).
I also clean jewellery with an old, soft toothbrush and a bit of shower gel – it doesn’t seem to dull the surface, but that might be because every so often I clean using the magic plate too. Additionally, I’ve heard toothpaste is very good for cleaning jewellery, particularly stones; I would guess because some kinds are mildly abrasive, which may not be good for softer stones like opals.
I was going to put a few links to some examples but I’m not sure if that’s allowed. A search for “silver cleaning” or “silver cleaning electrolytic plate” on eBay or Amazon should find examples (along with other cleaning products).