Just like the relationship with your partner, your engagement ring is meant to stay strong and shining. In fact, they both should stay the same after decades. But all of this will not come true by itself. You have to take care of it.
There is no doubt that diamonds are strong. But they are not invincible. Without proper care, both diamonds and precious metals can lose their charm. A ruined look of the ring will hurt your financial and emotional investment in the ring.
Here are a few insightful tips on you how you can preserve the most valuable investment of your life:
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Clean The Ring
When a layer of oil and dirt builds up on the ring, it stops shining as the light interactions get blocked. And without shining, your engagement ring isn’t the same ring anymore. Now, that is a solid reason to clean your ring regularly.
Cleaning a ring is quite an easy task. Just drop it into warm water mixed with a mild soap. After a few minutes, scrub the basket and the stone with a baby toothbrush. Then, rinse and pat dry the ring. You can clean the ring this way every few weeks. Just ensure that you are using only mild soap or dishwashing detergent.
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Take It Off Wisely
Most ladies take the ring off whenever they get the chance – while washing hands, getting hands dirty in the kitchen, sleeping, etc. Instead of doing that, you should know when to take it off and when not. The more you take the ring off, the higher the chances of you losing it somewhere.
You should definitely take off the ring while swimming as the water might shrink your fingers. You should also take it off while playing sports like tennis as certain stones like the micro pavé stones pop out easily. If you don’t know about the different types of stones and rings, you can check out here. And lastly, there is no need to take the ring off while washing hands, cleaning dishes, or even sleeping.
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Don’t Push The Limits
You are most probably not going to break the diamond. However, you can still fracture, bruise, and chip it. Hence, you need to make sure that you are not pushing the limits thinking that it’s the hardest naturally-occurring thing in the world. To ensure that your ring stays unharmed, here is a good rule of thumb to apply: if something can harm your fingers, it can also harm your ring.
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Never Use Harsh Chemicals
While harsh chemicals might not react with the diamond, they can certainly erode the metal. Be it gold, silver, or platinum, every precious metal of fine jewellery gets broken down when it comes in contact with chemicals such as acetone, chlorine, and bleach.
Scrub pads and hard-bristled toothbrushes are a big No-No when it comes to scrub cleaning the dirt. Of all the precious metals, gold is the most delicate and hence gets scratched very easily.
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Keep It Tight
Examining the ring for “prong check” once in a while is necessary as the prongs might get loosened up over time. You can go to a professional for this every year or check it yourself by holding the ring near your ear and shaking it a bit. If you hear a sound, then you might need to get your ring tightened.
Your engagement ring is more than just a piece of metal and diamond. It denotes the bond between you and your partner. And that makes it worthwhile to spend time on its cleaning and maintenance.