Wearing an Engagement Ring

[AmyMD]

I recently got engaged, and I''m curious how people care for their diamond rings. Do you wear it 24/7? How often do you clean it? How do you clean it? I''ve been removing it to shower, put on makeup, cook, etc, since I read that cosmetics and other things can damage fine jewelry. Am I worrying too much about it? Should I just leave it on my finger all the time? This is the only decent piece of jewelry I''ve ever owned.

 

[glitterata]

Congratulations on your engagement!

What kind of engagement ring do you have? A diamond (or diamonds) set in platinum or gold?

If you have a fragile gemstone like an emerald or an opal, you need to be fairly careful. But diamonds are pretty durable.

Even so, it's a good idea to take your diamond ring off when there's a possibility of scraping or banging it (cooking, car repair, gardening, weight lifting, etc.). Though harder than any other mineral (right, experts?), diamonds can chip if banged, and you could bend a prong, loosening your stone and risking it falling out.

Showering: well, I'd be afraid of washing the ring down the drain.

Putting on makeup: the only danger there is of getting makeup on the ring. No big deal, just clean it. Many people recommend soaking it for a minute or two in ammonia diluted with water, then brushing it with a baby toothbrush, rinsing it (close your sink trap!!), and drying it with a lint-free cloth or paper.

And post a picture so we can see your ring! We love pictures here.

Hope this helps.

 

[fuffi]

Amy-

Congratulations !

Like you, I am also overly cautious with my ring. That's because I know from experience that a little carelessness can lead to some pretty nasty scratches and dents on your ring, or even a cracked diamond. Be particularly careful about handling pots and pans, or any metal. Also, remember that diamonds are grease magnets, so removing them for cooking is a good idea. I generally don't wear my rings at all at home because I do so much with my hands all day. Maybe I'm a bit paranoid, but I had my rings checked recently and my jeweler was amazed at what great condition they are in.

As glitterata mentioned, ammonia with water and a small soft toothbrush are great for cleaning diamond jewelry. Windex works well too. I occasionally even use the steam spout on my cappuccino machine.

Best of luck and enjoy your ring!

 

[Jennifer5973]

Congratulations, first of all!

I personally do not wear my diamond rings around the house or when doing something that requires a lot of "hand work" such as gardening, cooking, lifting grocery bags, etc. I know diamonds are one of the hardest things one Earth but it is a myth that they cannot chip or crack or scratch.

I've chipped diamonds in wedding bands while gardening; I popped a stone in my setting at the grocery store loading cans into bags... It's just not worth it to me.

One thing to be careful of: if you do not wear your ring around the house, have a safe keeping place for it, and always put it in that spot. I've also had some real scares when i couldn't find my rings becasue I took them off and put them on a window sill, shelf, etc.

 

[AmyMD]

Thanks for the replies!

I tried uploading pix of my ring, but it won't work. Oh well.

 

[sxn675]

Hi Amy,

Congratulations on your engagement! Ditto what the other girls said. Are you an MD? My husband is a resident and he says that a lot of the married girls (both docs and nurses) will pin their rings on their scrubs. I know someone who lost her ring that way, so be careful (maybe make sure that you safety pin around your bra strap). He has to tie his ring on his scrub pants when in the OR and has dropped it a bunch of times. It's okay for a plain platinum band, but you don't want to worry about your beautiful new engagement ring that way!

 

[Jennifer5973]

Hey! I just remembered--My mom is a nurse and always pinned her rings to her bra with a heavy-duty pin when she worked at the hospital (she is an admnistrator now--she "crossed over to the other side," I guess

). And she had a 3ct pear then.

 

[hoorray]

Hi Amy,

It sounds as if you are getting good advise here.

I once had a jeweler tell me not to wear my rings in the kitchen -- too many hard surfaces to bang them on. (This was as he was replacing my setting which I had bashed up horribly.) I also take them off in places where the odds of losing them forever are a possibility, such as in the ocean or shower. Lastly, I take them off around soaps and lotions since I love a sparkly, clean ring. I had one of the well known vendors here qualify their upgrade policy with the caveat that "if you are one of those people who take good care of your jewelery and the stones are in good condition"... so lessons learned -- you can damage your ring is you are not careful.

I love to wear my rings, so I have a little ring case that I keep in my purse. I let them soak in the cleaner while I shower and get dressed. If you end up like me and take them off a fair amount, you definitely need a system to not lose them!

Best wishes on your engagement and pending marriage!

 

[Patty]

I take my rings off whenever I come in the house. For me it's just a comfort issue...off come the shoes and the rings. I have been known to leave them lying around the house and this drives my husband crazy. When our one daughter was 2, she lost my engagement ring and it was gone for 3 weeks. It turned up when we pulled the last tissue out of a Kleenex box...I guess she had to blow her nose while she was wearing it and it slipped off in the box.

I recommend you get a pretty (I like crystal) ring holder for the kitchen and maybe the bathroom too if you take your ring off in there.

 

[AmyMD]

Thanks for all the well wishes and advice!

I'm a medical student, and I'm well aware of the pinning the ring to the brastrap trick.

 

[Mara]

I am one of the weird ones who wears her ring all the time. I only take it off at night when I sleep because my finger swells. I wear it all day long, every minute and don't take it off at all except to clean it every morning. I kickbox, garden, clean the house, etc with it on. I figure, it's insured and I am going to wear it the way it was meant to be worn, REALLY DARN GOOD.

 

[mount pleasant boy]

My fiancee is like Mara...the ring is to be worn. She wears her rings for (all but) everything (racquetball and squash excepted). She even has gloves for surfing (paddling out) in which she has cut a hole for the ring!

Mara do you wear it boxing or only kick boxing? ; )

 

[Mara]

Both...when we hit the bags I turn it so the diamond is inside, against my palm.