When not to wear your engagement ring

You have this beautiful, sparkling engagement ring on your finger and you want to keep it that way. As a former jeweler I recommend you not wear your engagement ring:

Avoid this dirty chore…

Cleaning your house. This may be a no brainer but a lot of customers would come into the store and ask why the metal on their ring looked dingy or why it looked like it had started to pit. The harsh chemicals you use during regular house cleaning can damage your ring’s metal. Gold is a precious metal, it’s not as durable as steel or tungsten. Bleach is terrible for your metal, once a customer brought a dish in that had bleach in it and her ring, the ring had started to break down. That’s how harsh bleach can be. Put your ring in its safe place, or wear those cute yellow gloves!

It has to come off…

In the water. Whether you’re on your honeymoon, vacationing or live by the water it’s never a good idea to wear your ring. Living in a destination location like Hawaii, customers would stop into the store in tears because they lost their engagement ring in the water. (If you haven’t already, read my advice for traveling with an engagement ring, step one will come in handy here) When your hands are in the water they tend to shrink, your ring will then become loose. As your swimming and playing it can easily fall off. Not to mention saltwater is rough on your metal. This rule also applies to wearing your engagement ring in a pool. The chemicals are harsh and your ring can easily come off. Once again, put your ring in its safe place before jumping in! I also suggest wearing a rubber ring, I love Qalo’s!

Rest easy…

When you sleep. I know this is a weird one. Let me explain. While you sleep your fingers swell, making your ring tight on your finger which affects blood flow. Next, bedtime is when most people will bend a prong or lose a diamond. Lastly, you need to let your finger breathe. Bedtime is the perfect time to let the skin under your ring get some much needed fresh air. Skin rash happens easily with any ring, germs get caught while you wash your hands, use sanitizer and every day dirt & grime.

Don’t be gross…

While you work out. Here’s where the rubber rings are great! Wearing your engagement ring/bands while you work out can trap sweat under your ring and create a rash. Your ring doesn’t allow are to freely flow so the sweat gets trapped and the bacteria grows…gross.

Don’t do this too many times…

Lastly, while you’re pregnant. You’re probably saying ‘Cat, why can’t I just size it for a few months and then size it again?’ Bad idea, the more the metal on your ring is stretched and molded the weaker it gets. The prongs on your diamond are also affected each time you stretch and bend your ring. It’s best to put your ring in its safe place if it gets tight on your finger. Trust me, you don’t want to get your engagement ring cut off your finger. I suggest wearing a rubber ring or a plain gold band.

There you have it, five times you shouldn’t wear your engagement ring or wedding bands!

You NEED to check out Three Must Do’s for Your Engagement Ring

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Cat DeLine is a wedding photographer based in Virginia. She specializes in Destination weddings, elopement and couples portraits. Cat DeLine serves all of Virginia including Richmond, Charlottesville, Norfolk, and Virginia Beach as well as Destination Weddings and Western New York.