Where to Safely Keep Your Engagement Ring

If you're reading this, there's a good chance that you are recently engaged, and you want to know the best way to take care of your engagement ring. This isn't surprising, since the ring is more than just a high-value possession. Rather, it's a symbol of the love and commitment you share with your fiancé. And the hope that your relationship will last for the rest of your life. The most important aspect of engagement ring care is proper storage. This is because proper treatment will help avoid other problems.

When to Take your Engagement Ring Off

First, it's easy for many newly engaged women to ask why they need to store engagement rings at all. Many married and engaged women are never seen without their ring, especially given its importance. However, there are situations when you shouldn't be wearing your ring because doing so can cause you to damage or lose it.

When you are Sleeping

First of all, it's always a good idea to take your ring off before going to sleep. There are a couple of reasons for our recommendation. First, a ring that's worn while sleeping can suffer various misadventures: if your bed is close to the wall, for instance, you might knock your hand and the ring on it, causing damage. Or it could put a hole in the sheet. But a bigger problem is that many people's fingers swell while they sleep Since the ring doesn't also expand, causing discomfort. Finally, if your ring has intricate details, the smaller prongs can get caught in the sheets and loosen if you haven't had them tightened in some time. While these concerns are not common, it's better to be safe.

While Bathing or Washing Dishes

In both of these situations, you're working with warm, soapy water. Since soap is slippery, it's much easier for an engagement ring to come off and go down the drain. Similarly, using harsh chemicals while wearing your ring can damage the diamond or its mounting.

During Exercise or Gardening

Likewise, you should take your ring off when gardening or while at the gym. Both can damage your ring but in different ways. Gardening introduces dirt and abrasives, while the gym or swimming pool provides lots of opportunities for damage to the setting or diamond from chemicals.

How to Keep your Engagement Ring Safe

Naturally, when you aren't wearing your ring it's necessary to store it somewhere. Your choice depends on what you have available, but each storage option should protect your precious ring from getting scratched, dirty, or lost. You also need to keep your diamond from damaging other jewelry.

Everyday Storage Options at Home

In most cases, you'll store your ring at home when you aren't wearing it. Most experts agree that the best approach is to always have a place where you leave your ring and that this is consistent. Sometimes you'll want to have a small number of options, for instance, one upstairs and one down.

Engagement Ring Box

In many cases, the best option is the original engagement ring box. This was designed to hold your ring, and it prevents both scratches and dirt. In addition, a ring box is often too big to lose easily. Some jewelers provide a box that has a slot for the wedding ring, especially if both are bought together.

A Fabric-lined Jewelry Box

Another option is to place your engagement ring in a fabric-lined jewelry box. Here, you'll want to choose a box that can keep the ring from scratching (or getting scratched by) other jewelry. Many boxes of this type have a ring roll section, which is designed to keep rings apart while displaying them for easy viewing.

Soft Fabric Pouch

If you want a storage option that'll keep your ring safe but not take up much space, consider a soft fabric pouch. You can place your ring inside the pouch, then store the pouch just about anywhere that the ring won't get lost. For instance, you could put the pouch in a kitchen drawer while doing the dishes. This way, the other contents of the drawer won't scratch it-or vice versa. You can also pair the pouch with any wooden box that will stay closed.

Storing your Ring With Other Jewelry

When storing your ring, there are other concerns besides loss and scratches in the ring itself. If you are storing your ring with other jewelry, you need to be careful that it cannot scratch those other items. Diamonds are one of the world's hardest substances, so they can easily scratch anything they touch. Similarly, hard metal and other gemstones in jewelry can scratch your ring or break some of the prongs.

Luckily, it's easy to avoid this problem. A fabric pouch will usually prevent scratching, as will putting the ring into a ring roll or separate compartment from other pieces of jewelry. Overall, this means that you can store the ring with other jewelry, so long as you take precautions.

Storage During Travel

Naturally, travel presents different ring storage challenges. In particular, you can't take a large box with you, and your typical storage location may not be available. Plus, you still have to protect the ring from loss and damage.

One option that is almost always available is putting your rings in the original ring box. From here, you can place the box in your hotel room safe. This guards the ring from theft. Similarly, you can keep the rings in a travel jewelry case. If it's well-designed, there should also be other compartments for storing other pieces of jewelry. Place it in your carry-on bag, then store in the safe.

A Few Other Tips

Finally, we'd like to give you some general ring maintenance advice. No matter where you store your ring, it's important to avoid using harsh chemicals or acids while wearing it. These can eat away at your ring setting, and in some cases, the diamond itself.

In addition, you should be attentive to normal wear and tear. Most rings experience some loosening of the prong settings over time. Your ring will also collect dirt, even if stored carefully. Cleaning your ring is relatively easy: use a little bit of jewelry cleaner, or some warm soapy water. With a toothbrush, dislodge the dirt from your ring setting and underneath the diamond. To address damage, take the ring to your local jeweler. They can inspect all the settings and tighten them as needed. Often, they'll finish with a thorough cleaning.

As a quick roundup, here are the best places to store your ring:

1. Jewelry Box
2. Original Ring Box
3. Safe
4. Fabric Pouch
5. Jewelry Roll
6. Locked Drawer or Cabinet
7. Bank Locker