An engagement ring is undoubtedly one of the most precious pieces of jewellery one could own. This is why engagement ring care is vital and should be prioritised more often.
By integrating ring care into your life, you can help your special piece of jewellery remain sturdy, safe, and stunning over time.
But, if you are unsure on where to start, please don’t panic, we have got you covered!
Here are a few of our antique and vintage engagement ring care tips we think everyone should follow.
The Dos and Don’ts for Engagement Ring Care
Follow these tips to help care for your precious ring the best you can:
Engagement Ring Insurance
Jewellery insurance is a crucial part of caring for your engagement ring. We advise you to protect your precious goods in the possible event that your ring gets lost, stolen or damaged. Not that we’re saying it will, but, just in case, it’s certainly worth it.
Engagement Ring Cleaning
Cleaning your engagement ring with random and possibly harmful cleaners is something we do not recommend.
Actually, what we do recommend is regular cleaning using a small cup of luke-warm water, a soft small toothbrush and ONE small (very small) drop of washing up liquid. Sometimes it’s just that simple. Alternatively, you can take your precious ring to a jeweller to get it professionally cleaned by an expert.
Read our guide on cleaning a diamond ring
Pre-Wedding Care
Wanting your engagement ring to glisten on your wedding day? We suggest getting a pre-wedding clean organised prior to the big day. Professionals have access to cleaning equipment, like ultra-sonic cleaners, so take full advantage of this.
Avoiding Harsh Chemicals
Harsh chemicals should be avoided when wearing your engagement ring; your ring metal can be worn down with the exposure of chemicals.
Removing Your Ring
So, with that being said, it’s important to remove your engagement every now and then. Especially during heavy duty activities, I personally advice removing your ring before exercising, cleaning, moving heavy objects and gardening. And if you continue to remove your ring in before these types of activities you will be protecting it from any unwanted damage.
Disclaimer
Removing your jewellery at home is the safest way to do so, therefore try leave your engagement ring at home if you feel like you may need to remove it in public.
Learn more about when to remove your engagement ring
Ring Storage
And with that being said, if you’re taking your regularly taking your engagement ring off it’s important to have some ring storage dotted around your home.
Jewellery storage has always been incredibly important to jewellery lovers- from the earliest incarnations which were more akin to treasure chests; jewellery storage was primarily for the safekeeping of expensive items rather than for sustaining the quality of pieces.
We suggest either investing in a jewellery box, a little dish or trinket tray by your bedside, in your bathroom and in your kitchen.
Jewellery boxes provide not only an attractive way to maintain the quality of your engagement ring but also secure storage.
It’s as simple as this, the more precious your jewellery, the more necessary jewellery storage is.
Browse our collection of vintage and antique jewellery boxes
Extra Care
And although dish soap is your engagement ring’s friend, it’s important to be aware that sometimes different gems require different care methods.
It’s a case of different gemstones may require different care to a diamond.
For example, a diamond can often be cleaned using an ultrasonic cleaner but other popular engagement gems like emerald, opal, pearl, peridot, sunstone, tanzanite, topaz, tourmaline, turquoise and zircon cannot.
If you’ve opted for a pearl, read more on how to look after your pearl engagement ring
By following the above steps of ring care, your vintage or antique engagement ring can remain as beautiful as the day you got it. With proper care your vintage or antique piece can have more years of wear to come.
With vintage or antique engagement rings we also suggest to be gentle with it as well as regular ring checks. Professional checks by a professional jeweller should also be incorporated into your ring care routine every so often too.
