Daisy gave us some great insight into ring wear and tear when our editor Megan lamented her search for a new setting for her too-large ring. We needed to pass on the knowledge…
If your engagement or wedding ring needs resizing, there are some good reasons to wait to wear it. As someone who has worked in a chain jewelry store and done a lot of research out of personal interest, I've seen some real damage occur when a larger ring is worn before resizing.
Letting it flop around and hitting against another ring to keep it in place is both bad for the metal and the stones. It puts it at much more at risk for knocking the stone out, chipping it, or breaking it completely depending on how old the stone is and what kind of inclusions it naturally has.
So diamonds can already have flaws?
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Diamonds are the strongest gemstone, but because of those natural inclusions (which are carbon and fractures that occur as the diamond forms) it really only take one good hit in the right spot to chip or completely break the stone. This is especially so if it's something you wear everyday. Anything aside from diamonds, sapphires, and rubies are way too soft to use in a wedding ring for every day use unless you were meticulous in upkeep and very careful about when you put it on. In general it's not recommended.
Until you're ready to get it resized, consider taking it to a jeweler and having a temporary sizer put in. While you're there, Also have them check the stones to make sure they're in good condition and not loose in their setting. As gold gets older, it can get brittle and break or bend, or a prong can get bent or broken. Depending on the age of the ring, when you are ready to redesign the ring, the gold may have to be scrapped altogether.
But don't be scurred…
This isn't a reason to be paranoid about wearing your ring, of course. It's meant to be worn and enjoyed! I've just seen avoidable problems with people thinking their wedding rings were basically invulnerable and were wearing them 24/7. This caused the ring to have expensive repairs needed whenever they did finally bring it in to a jeweler to be looked at. Having this checked out now can save you a lot of grief in the long run.
The golden rule of keeping your jewelry safe is, “last thing on before you leave the house, first thing off when you get home.”
Need more ring care tips?
Are you wearing a too-large wedding ring?
YES! SO important! Diamonds are wonderfully hard, but you still need to take care of them. (Diamond setters have huge insurance policies because they can break, and do break, when they are being set). With more and more people getting non-diamond engagement rings (myself included), means you REALLY need to be gentle with them. I have a topaz in my engagement ring, and I have a little ring elephant in the cupboard above my sink, because washing dishes with it is just asking for trouble. I got a silicone ring for physical activities or manual labour to also protect it.
Another piece of advice I was given by our goldsmith, is you should get your ring checked out by them every year (maybe a little bit longer than that if you baby it.) Gems can become loose, material on prongs get worn down over time, ect. Regular maintenance and cleaning is very important.