The love of your life finally proposed and you gave them your sweet yes! Your engagement ring is a symbol of love and your hope for a happily ever after. Naturally, you want your ring to last till death do you part. To preserve your ring throughout your engagement, marriage, and beyond (in case you want to pass it on to your children), avoid these common engagement ring ownership mistakes.
Engagement Ring Mistakes: The No-Nos After Saying Yes
Keep these tips in mind if you want your engagement ring to last:
- Ignoring a loose stone
It’s never a good idea to walk around – or worse, shower or go swimming – with a loose stone. While it might seem safe and secure since the diamond is “just a little wobbly,” one wrong move can cause your diamond to fall out and go missing.
Damage to the setting or stone itself is one of the main reasons diamonds fall out of jewelry. As soon as you notice the issue, ensure to remove your engagement ring and place it in a ring box. Bring your ring to a local jeweler to have it inspected and repaired.
- Choosing a fragile center stone
If you love colorful gemstones, this might be hard to hear. Choosing a fragile center stone such as peridot, amethyst, or turquoise is not ideal for an engagement ring. Your ring will look unique and beautiful, however, these stones chip easily, especially if you wear your engagement ring every day. Pearls have recently become a popular centerpiece for rings, too. As elegant as pearls are, they are among the most delicate gems you can purchase, meaning they are easy to scratch or abrade. It’s best to avoid pearls in an engagement ring altogether, unless you choose to wear your ring during special occasions exclusively.
Colored diamonds, rubies, and sapphires are durable and gorgeous options for those who love unique gemstones and want their engagement ring to last for many years to come.
- Wearing your ring 24/7
Who wouldn’t want to wear something so pretty and sparkly 24/7? As much as you love your engagement ring (we can’t blame you for wanting to stare at that beauty), wearing it all the time comes with a fair share of consequences. An engagement ring is one of your most treasured pieces of jewelry. Subjecting it to the wear and tear of daily life can chip, crack, and otherwise damage your engagement ring. To maintain your ring’s quality, remember to remove and place it somewhere safe when playing sports, exercising, doing chores around the house, and even when sleeping. Sleeping with your ring on can put pressure on the band and push the prongs out of place. Your engagement ring may also get tangled on your sheets, which can warp the prongs and pull out your center stone.
It might’ve become a habit of yours to wear your ring at all times, even when cooking meals for your family or washing the dishes. While these are relatively harmless activities, it’s still a good idea to remove and secure your ring when doing physical activities, including taking care of a baby (although this advice is more for the protection of your child than your ring). You wouldn’t want to hit your baby’s delicate skin with one of the earth’s hardest substances.
In an effort to eliminate the threat of damaging or losing an engagement ring, some people only wear their wedding band and keep their engagement ring stashed away for important celebrations. Some even own a cheap replica of their engagement ring so that they can wear it as they please without scratching or damaging the real thing. Of course, you don’t have to go to these lengths. There are no real rules when it comes to how often you should wear your ring.
- Skipping maintenance
Even if you don’t think your diamond is loose and your ring looks as perfect as the day you got it, you should still visit your local jeweler for a routine checkup and cleaning once a year. Unless you work with jewelry and have a trained eye, it can be difficult to notice minor flaws that might require more extensive and expensive repairs over time. By having a professional inspect your engagement ring at least once a year, you can reduce your chances of accidental ring damage.
Consider adding these helpful articles to your reading list for more tips and tricks on how to care for jewelry:
- A Guide to Properly Caring for Diamonds
- How to Keep Your Diamonds Sparkling
- Caring for Antique Jewelry: A Beginner’s Guide
- Not insuring your engagement ring
This advice is one of the most important on this list. No one wants to lose their engagement ring, but it can happen. If one day, your engagement ring is lost or stolen (knock on wood), having insurance is an effective backup plan.
Based on your ring’s appraised value, you can file a claim and receive compensation, allowing you to purchase a replacement engagement ring. Though it’s heartbreaking to lose the original ring from your proposal, having insurance can make this stressful time a little bit easier to move on from.
Far more than a mere piece of jewelry, an engagement ring holds lasting symbolic value. Getting engaged signifies growth and evolution in both yourself and your relationship. Prove that you are worthy of the wonderful changes in your life by avoiding these common engagement ring mistakes by brides-to-be, wives, and everyone else in love.
Where Can I Sell My Engagement Ring?
In Scottsdale and Chandler, Arizona, Biltmore Loan and Jewelry is a trusted buyer of luxury items, including diamond engagement rings. However, we understand that an engagement ring is full of strong memories, some beautiful and some not-so-amazing. Whether your engagement did not work out, you are divorced, or have another reason to sell your diamond ring, looking at the piece can be enough to cause a rollercoaster of emotions. If and when you are ready for a fresh start, contact us.