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At first, your engagement ring is lustrous and sparkly, and then over time, it can get dull and grimy. Diamonds are forever, so age isn’t a factor here. It all depends on how you care for your ring.
Now, what if the worst happened and your beautiful ring got submerged in a hot pot of soup with plenty of palm oil or mysteriously found its way into a pile of cow manure? It’s not the end of your ring yet because there are different ways to guard and protect it from premature death.
Here are different ways to care for your engagement or wedding ring:
- Insurance
Insuring your ring against theft, loss or specific damage is a good idea especially if it’s very expensive. Be mindful of the terms set out in some insurance policies; for example, “mysterious disappearance” may not amount to theft.
- No Chemicals
Try to keep your ring away from household detergents and cleaning agents that contain chemicals especially when cleaning the kitchen and bathroom, washing clothes and doing dishes.
These cleaning agents may affect the sparkle and shine of your ring.
- Regular Maintenance
Visiting your jeweller for ring maintenance at least twice a year will go a long way into checking the strength of the ring’s setting and securing the stone from falling out of place prematurely.
- Cleaning
Clean your rock regularly to remove the build-up of lotion, oils and dirt. Soaking your diamond ring in equal parts of ammonia and water for half an hour will restore the shine to it.
*Note that ammonia may only be used to clean diamonds as it may damage other types of stones. For other stones, gently scrub with a soft toothbrush after soaking it in warm water and mild washing up liquid.
- Safe Place
When taking off your ring temporarily, you should store it in a jewellery box and not keep it by the sink where it may fall down the drain or get lost in some other way. Diamonds should also be kept away from other stones because they are the hardest substance on earth and can easily scratch other metals and precious stones.
If home methods fail, go to a professional jeweller to polish it. If nothing can be done, you may just have to buy another one.
The best way to care for your engagement ring is to use a combination of different methods and invest in insurance because you just never know when you might need it!