When to Take Off Your Engagement Ring? Even if You Don't Want To
We understand—you never want to stop staring at your engagement ring. (Who doesn't?) But, believe it or not, knowing when to take off your engagement ring is vital for keeping it pristine and safe for years to come.
In this blog, we answer the question on when to take off your engagement ring. Make sure to follow these top tips and your center stone will continue to be just as brilliant as the day you said "Yes."
1. Should you wear your engagement ring all the time?
The short answer is NO. Your hands come in contact with plenty of surfaces and substances every day, which can potentially harm your engagement ring. While it's safe to keep it on for most activities, take it off when you know you'll be working heavily with your hands or if you could potentially expose it to harsh chemicals.
2. Can you wear your engagement ring in the shower?
Scented soaps, along with hair and beauty products, can cause cloudy buildup on your stone, or worse, under your stone—which is much harder to clean. Avoid taking a shower with your engagement ring on, since it'll be exposed to products that can dirty it over time. The same goes for any lotions or beauty products you might put on your skin after a shower too. Play it safe and take your engagement ring off before getting it lathered up.
3. But can I wear it while I wash my hands?
Generally, you don't have to take off your engagement ring when you wash your hands. In fact, using gentle soap and water is the best way to clean an engagement ring at home, so washing your hands won't do any damage to your jewelry. If you have strong, scented soap, though, consider swapping it with a gentler formula just to be safe.
4. What about hand sanitizers?
The harsh chemicals in some hand sanitizers (and other cleaning agents like chlorine, bleach, rubbing alcohol and antibacterial soaps) won't cause immediate damage, but over time may discolor your metal setting. That's not to say you should stop using hand sanitizer. Instead, just take your rings off when using it, and place them back on once your hands are dry.
5. Can you wear your engagement ring in the pool?
Yes, but just like hand sanitizers, repeated exposure to chlorine for extended periods of time may cause discolouration to your gold band.
6. What about beach swimming?
You should always avoid wearing your engagement ring when beach swimming. First, rings can easily fall off in the ocean and get swept away. However, sand can also damage your engagement ring without you even realizing it. Small grains can get wedged in the setting of your engagement ring, which can loosen the prongs and make your stone/s susceptible to falling out.
7. Can I wear it while working out at the gym?
Wearing your ring during cardio activities won’t do it any harm, but weight lifting can take a toll. The weight pressure (or really, any amount of strong pressure) that’s applied to your gold band might dent it since gold is very soft. In general, though, consider taking it off any time you hit the gym. As for contact sports, definitely take off your engagement ring, or risk a serious injury like ring avulsion.