You’ve finally got The Ring… now to keep her glowing!

Okay, so my husband does not agree with this advice one little bit but… TAKE IT OFF! 

Mr T is super traditional about this and believes that once that ring is on… it should never come off. Now in theory I do agree with this philosophy, however… engagements rings are so pretty and SO expensive… you wouldn’t want to hurt her! (And yes I am referring to my ring as a person… mine’s called Vera and she’s a very special lady!) 

I know many people who have actually lost diamonds from their wedding bands! Therefore… I suggest taking your ring off for anything that could damage/tarnish/dull it.

Here are the main examples:

• The Gym: First of all…sweat! It can cause your ring to become discloured and tarnished, this is more likely if your ring is silver or gold. Secondly… weight-lifting! The pressure of bars on your band can cause it to bend and the prongs to release your precious gems!! Apparently, the experts also advise taking off your ring off for racket/club sports too (anything with a tight grip and where some force required! Naughty… wink wink).
• Food Prepping: If you’re cutting, chopping, stuffing, handling raw meat etc. just think of all the food particles, germs & bacteria. Need I say more? Yuck.
• Gardening: Soil, pesticides, tools etc. Again, shovelling or working with any heavier duty tools would have the same effect as the pressure of a weight-lifting bar in the gym.
• Showering: Any hair products etc. can build up inside your ring and can actually dull your diamonds! Which brings us on to the next one…
• Self-Care: In fact using any ‘product’ at all e.g. Moisturiser/hand lotion/hair spray/mousse etc. can have the same effects. You wouldn’t want your pride and joy to lose her sparkle!
• Spa: PLEASE DON’T WEAR YOUR RING IN THE SWIMMING POOL. Or in Hot Tubs, Sauna’s or Steam Rooms for that matter. To start with…Chlorine is NOT good for your ring, it can interact with the metal and discolour your Wedding band, it can also damage the thin prongs which may cause them to release your diamonds! If you read those little ‘Sauna-safety’ posters (which I’m pretty sure you all do… of course!) you will see that they advise to remove all jewellery before entering.
• In the Sea: Exposure to salt-water will damage the appearance of any ring, but Rose Gold rings especially will corrode faster than other metals. Also remember that the sea is usually bloody freezing and your fingers will be ‘thinner’ in cold water and therefore she’s more likely to slip off and be lost to Davy-Jones Locker forever!
• Washing Dishes: Again with the food particles… yuck. Not to mention the general abrasiveness of any cleaning utensils… you don’t want to get her all scratched!
• Cleaning the house: Think of the chemicals!!! Either take your ring off or get those marigolds on girls!
• Hand-santizer: Whilst it will not damage the brilliance of the stones, it can cause the finish on a white-gold ring to wear slightly faster. But please don’t use this as a reason not to sanitise! Just make sure you either take your ring off… or wash your hands properly for 20 seconds whilst singing happy birthday… obviously! (The experts says it’s better to get rid of COVID anyway, right?)

Okay… so I’ve listed quite a few examples there… and it’s sounds like I’m telling you to take her off A LOT.  But in reality, you’ll find that it’s not that often and it’s only for short periods of time. Mainly when you’re in the house. 

What to do with it when you have it off: 

• You can use a rubber band replacement ring whenever you have your ring off in public – you can buy these online (these are especially great for beach days with activities like surfing etc.). 

• Keep it safe i.e. 
  • Wear it on a chain
  • Or keep the box it came in (this is my go-to move).

When doing any jobs round the house never, EVER place it down just anywhere… chances are you will forget where you put it, your dogs might knock it on to the floor and under the sofa (causing you to break out in an absolute sheer panic, sweating while you turn the entire house, that you just cleaned, upside-down while you look for it).

And BEFORE you lose it: 

MAKE SURE ITS INSURED, whether that’s under your home insurance or a separate specialised policy. This is SO important! 

Okay… so you ignored my advice and got it dirty… now what: 

• Cleaning it at home: 

Regular washing-up liquid/hand wash – due to all the COVID hand-washing every 2 mins my ring has never been so sparkly! 

Buy a white diamond pen – these are FABULOUS! You can buy them from most jewellers and they make your ring SO SPARKLY! (I’m aware that I sound like a magpie at this point.)

Someone once recommended to me using a toothbrush and toothpaste… however I looked into this and its actually quite damaging and abrasive (I imagine whitening toothpastes would probably be the worst!). 

EDIT: I’ve recently tried the ‘Dazzle Stik‘ – brilliant to have in your bag and great to take on your travels! – and also Town Talk Polish’s Jewel Sparkle, which made my ring SOOO Sparkly! Would definitely recommend both!

• Cleaning it professionally:

Go back to the place you bought it from, they will do a quick ‘clean-while-you-wait/shop’ service… I go to Goldsmiths every time I’m at the MetroCentre shopping (even though they no longer stock Vera Wang rings, they still offer this service as that’s where she was purchased). I usually hang around and send Mr T not-so-subtle hints about my next Christmas/birthday presents, also I wouldn’t want Vera to think she’s been abandoned in the shop by herself!… but you could just leave it with them and head off shopping and pick it up later. They use some kind of ultrasonic cleaner with high frequency sound waves to jiggle all the dirt free – fancy! 

If it’s white gold, get it dipped, they suggest every year but I’ve had mine for 4 years now (can’t believe it’s been that long), and I think mine only really needs done now. They tend to yellow at the back first (where your hand is a bit sweatier… lovely), so you may not notice it for a while. Again, take it back to the place you bought it from to do this. 

When NOT to remove your ring:

• Don’t take your ring off if you’re fighting – it does more damage than you can repair as it signifies that you’re done and not willing to fight for your relationship, the doubt that this instills won’t disappear just by you putting the ring back on. 

• And obviously don’t take it off to flirt (and hide the fact you’re married) even though I’m sure everyone enjoys a free drink now and then… how bad would you feel if you actually lost it!

So what I’m saying girls is that, it’s acceptable to take your ring off to protect her, but always IMMEDIATELY put her back on! Your ring signifies commitment… so don’t go anywhere without her… 

I mean, why would you want to anyway!… so PRETTY!  

We nagged them long enough to get the ring… let’s keep them glowing girls! 

Lots of Love,

Mrs T x