Congratulations on your engagement!!! You are entering an incredible new season in your life and you have a shiny new accessory as a daily reminder of the love you share with your favorite person! You’ll never forget how breathtakingly shiny and stunning your ring looks the day you wear it for the first time. In most cases, this is the ring you will wear the rest of your life and you want to keep it well cared for and looking its best. I’ve put together a list of 5 ring care tips for newly engaged brides to help ensure your beautiful ring lasts as long as your marriage.
1. Insure your ring.
If by chance your fiancé didn’t get the optional insurance when your ring was purchased, its okay. There are a few options you have to make sure its protected in case anything should happen! Depending on your living situation, some home owner’s insurance companies will cover your ring under your house insurance. Call your agent to find out. If this doesn’t apply to you because you don’t yet own your home or they will not cover your ring, you can often go back to where it was purchased and get insurance directly through them!
On the crazy chance that neither of those options work, many other national insurance companies offer coverage on protecting your engagement ring. A quick Google search of “engagement ring insurance” returned a wide variety of well known companies. I always recommend this to my brides because excessive wear and tear can cause diamonds to fall out, your band to wear thin and break or sometimes it just plain gets lost. In most cases, the cost of the insurance is far less than what it would be to replace the ring or any of the missing diamonds (hello more money towards your dream wedding?) !!
2. Clean your ring regularly.
Its important to clean your ring regularly, as the oils and dirt it regularly comes in contact with can break down the metals and weaken the prongs. This could make it more prone to damage or losing a stone. If possible you should try to clean your ring every 1-2 weeks. This doesn’t mean you have to drive to the jewelers every time you need it cleaned though. It can easily be done right at home!
All you need is a small dish, some warm water, a mild dish soap, a very soft tooth brush and a lint free cloth that is soft. Mix the warm water and a little bit of dish soap, and place your ring in the mixture for 30-60 minutes. Its totally okay to soak longer if needed. Once your ring is done soaking, remove it from the water and soap mixture and gently brush with the soft bristled tooth brush. Rinse with fresh warm water and pat dry with the lint free cloth! Boom, your ring is shiny and looking like new again! But if you are like me and forever in a hurry, I have this handy little gadget from amazon that I throw all of my jewelry and even my eyeglasses into for a quick clean when I am brushing my teeth or in a hurry to get out the door!
3. Know when and when not to wear your ring.
I know you just gasped at the thought of not wearing and showing off your ring! Trust me I have been there. When I first got engaged I couldn’t imagine leaving the house without it on, so I don’t blame you one bit. But when you are thinking of how you can give your ring longevity and keep it looking beautiful, there are some times that it may be best to leave it at home or possibly just not take it off!
Our bodies are a wonder and mystery and so many things can affect how well our rings fit our fingers. For example, when its cold (and I live in Ohio so that’s at least half the year) my fingers shrink and my ring feels loose. When its hot and sticky my fingers tend to swell, sometimes making it hard to get my ring on. If I am going somewhere outdoors and I know its going to be cold, I often leave my ring at home. Yup, I said it. I go out in public not wearing my engagement ring. GASP (AGAIN!). I often wear a silicone ring or no ring at all in these situations because the thought of it slipping off my finger because it is ill fitting due to the temperature devastates me more than the thought of not wearing it.
I’ve had couples lose rings in the ocean because the temperature of the water caused their fingers to shrink and one rogue wave, and their ring was gone. Another way to lose a ring is to leave it behind when you take it off to wash your hands. A lot of jewelers recommend leaving it on while washing your hands if out in public. Yes, harsh hand soaps can affect your ring’s integrity, however if you are taking it off at home when washing dishes, washing your hands at home or using harsh chemicals, the few times you have to leave it on when washing your hands in public won’t deteriorate it as much as you think! Don’t let someone else get possession of your stunning ring because you left it behind in a public restroom, its not worth it!
4. Don’t resize your ring too many times.
Resizing your ring too many times can thin the precious metals of your band and weaken the prongs that hold your stones in place. That doesn’t mean you should be afraid to have it resized, but it does mean to know your body and understand that your weight will fluctuate and the weather will change the way the ring fits your hand. So, don’t run back to have it resized every time its a little snug or a tad loose. Too often brides comment that after too many resizings they are in the jewelers every few months having stones replaced and their ring is never the same.
It’s recommended to have it resized no more than two to three times in a lifetime. Speak with your jeweler to see what they think is best for your specific ring. Some rings can handle more resizings and some cannot be resized at all. The more intricate your ring is, the more delicate it will be. Of course if it does not fit at all because it is too big or too small, you will want to get it taken care of ASAP so you can wear it without the risk of it falling off.
5. Keep ring dishes throughout your home.
Nothing is worse than the heart racing stress of thinking you have lost your ring. How will you ever tell your fiancé that you cannot find the symbol of your love? I wasn’t engaged very long before it happened to me for the first time. Thank goodness he is a patient man (sometimes lol). I searched our house high and low looking for that ring! Finally we found it, but of course it happened again a time or two.
The smartest thing I did after losing it one too many times was to put little ring dishes around our house in all of the places I typically take it off. There is a dish at our kitchen sink so that I can take it off when I am washing dishes or cooking a meal. I felt more peace of mind with it in a dish because I was less likely to knock it off the edge of the sink and lose it down the drain. I also put one by the bathroom sink for the same reason. I take it off when I am putting on my makeup, or getting ready to hop in the shower. We have a small house so those are the two places I ever remove my ring. Its comforting to know that I can always find it in one of those two dishes no matter what. If I take it off anywhere else in the house, I have formed the habit of walking it to the nearest ring dish.
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