Wearing your engagement ring in the wrong place at the wrong time can result in loss or damage to your most prized possession. We've come up with 12 tips to keep your ring sparkling and on your finger for a life time.

1

Traveling: Consider leaving your engagement ring home while traveling and just wear your wedding band. 25% of all women will lose their engagement rings, and with the hustle and bustle of traveling, hotel safes and washing your hands in airport bathrooms, this is one time to leave your ring safely at home. Carrying heavy suitcases can pull prongs and damage your jewelry, use care lifting your bags.

2

Sailing & Machinery: Anytime there are fast moving ropes, gears or machines involved it’s a good time to take those rings off for safety. 

3

Applying Lotions or Perfumes: The chemicals, fragrances, and alcohol in lotions and perfumes can damage your jewelry over time, and dull the gemstone brilliance by creating a layer of hardened cloudy product on the underside of the stone.

4

Household Cleaning: Household cleaning products, like lotions and perfumes, contain strong chemicals and even abrasives that can corrode and scratch your jewelry and even turn it solid black. Always remember to remove your rings while scrubbing tubs and kitchen sinks.

5

Swimming: Always remove your jewelry before plunging into the pool or wading out into the open water. Chlorine can corrode and blacken jewelry, and all cool water will shrink your hands causing your rings to slip off. Crashing waves, and strong water currents can also remove your jewelry for you.

6

Gardening & Yard Work: Pulling weeds and digging in the dirt can entangle your ring and pull it off your finger. Rocks and branches can gouge platinum and scratch gold, and even loosen stones. Always remember to remove your rings, even if wearing gardening gloves.

7

Lifting Weights & Bicycling: Gripping metal of any type, including gym weights and bicycle handle bars, will scratch gold and platinum. It can also crush small diamond melee and loosen stone settings. Always remember to leave your rings in a locker.

8

Cooking & Washing Dishes: Always place your rings in ring-dish while working in the kitchen. Kneading dough, handling ground meats and greasy substances can force food and bacteria under stones and into ring details. Cool and fast running water from dish washing can cause your ring to slip from your finger and into the garbage disposal.

9

Loose Stones: Many things can cause a stone to become loose, wear and tear is one of them, and science is another. Tapping and striking metal against hard surfaces causes it to harden and slightly stretch, especially when your ring is new. Prongs can catch and pull back or wear thin over time depending how hard you wear your jewelry. If you notice a loosening stone, take off your ring and make your way into your jeweler for a quick tightening.

10

The Wrong Size: You just got your new ring and you never want to take it off. But if your new ring is too big, even just a little, it can slip off when you’re not looking. Ring sizing shouldn’t take more than a week, and it’s worth the wait.

11

X Marks the Spot: When removing your ring always put it in a designated location like a ring dish or jewelry box. You can place the ring dishes all around your house, one in the kitchen and bathroom (away from the drain) and one in your bedroom. Placing your ring in the same, safe location will keep it from being misplaced, or taken out with the trash.

12

Uninsured: Insure your ring before the proposal or immediately thereafter. An uninsured ring is a ring not only at risk of being lost or stolen; you may not be able to afford to replace it.