6 Ways You’re Ruining Your Wedding Ring

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings 

With your busy day-to-day life, it’s easy to forget you’re even wearing your wedding ring until something goes wrong. Make sure you’re not making these six mistakes, and you’ll keep your ring safe, shiny, and in mint condition.

Washing your hands.

It might be a good hygiene practice, but it’s a big no-no when it comes to your ring. “Soap sticks to the diamonds and metal and dries,” says Nadine Tacorian Arzerounian, president of operations and design at Tacori. With a sticky residue overlaying its brilliance, your ring just won’t have the same shine it normally does. To keep your ring sparkling, take it off every time you wash your hands. Just be careful when you’re in public that you put it in your pocket or purse so it’s safe.

Not insuring it.

With a pretty penny invested into your ring, it’s really important that you protect it in the event of damage, loss, or theft. In the same way that you store it in its box, take it off when washing your hands, or have it cleaned, you have to make sure you take all the right steps to keep it safe, says Arzerounian.

 Forgetting to clean it.

Think of visiting your jeweler in the same way you think of going to the dry cleaner. You invested in something nice, and you want to clean it the best way possible. “It deserves a little spa treatment,” says Arzerounian. So how often should you clean it? She recommends visiting a trusted jeweler every six months to a year.

Working out.

Your daily sweat sessions at the gym might do your body good, but they’re torture for your ring. Cycling, spin class, lifting weights, and other rough activities can damage or potentially chip diamonds if they’re hit against something too hard or at just the right angle, says jeweler Anna Sheffield. She especially warns about the risks with softer stones, like opal, moonstone, and even emeralds, which are very fragile and can break or chip. Leave your ring at home or tuck it into your gym bag while working out.

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Photography by: Rachel Havel Photography