How to Care for Your Engagement Ring
Whether you're a proud owner of some shiny new left-hand bling (yay!) or you've been sporting your gem for months or even years, you're going to want to tuck this info-packed feature away for safe keeping. From insuring to sizing, cleaning and everything in between, custom designer Josh Levkoff is sharing everything you need to know about keeping your ring in tip-top shape.
From Josh Levkoff Private Jeweler... Your engagement ring is a symbol of true love, enduring yet delicate. It is important that this precious symbol is treated in the same manner you would the person who gave it to you. Your ring should be loved, cherished, coveted, and most importantly cared for in such a way to ensure an everlasting relationship.
What exactly is the best way to care for your ring responsibly? We are going to break it down and give you our inside scoop of the do’s and definitely do not’s of caring for your jewelry with our seven tips below...
1. Get your ring insured. First and foremost take that appraisal and get your ring insured, get your ring insured, GET YOUR RING INSURED. Don’t think it can’t happen to you because frankly it can! Despite what people think, a diamond can be damaged. Not to mention: stolen, lost, misplaced, and a long list of other unfortunate situations. GET YOUR RING INSURED!
2. Make sure it's the correct size. Knowing and maintaining the correct ring size is very important to keeping your ring in good condition. If your ring is not sized correctly it is not good it. If it’s too big your ring can slide off your finger and get banged easily. If your ring is too small it can alter the construction of the jewelry by yanking too hard for it to come off and also cause circulation issues and other medical conditions.
3. It's OK to take off your ring. Many people are wrong in thinking that your ring is to be worn at all times. A delicate piece of jewelry is not made to never come off. Many people think that their ring is indestructible. That they can go anywhere with it, do anything with it, carry out normal activities with it. Boy, are they wrong! Your ring is a precious work of art, so it needs to be treated like one! At Josh Levkoff Jewelry we often have to act as diamond doctors by helping to repair jewelry from accidents caused by activities that should not have been done while wearing your ring. Don’t play sports or go the gym with your ring. Don’t go swimming with your ring as your fingers shrink in cold water and the ring could slip off easily, don’t do yardwork in the ring. Don’t sleep in your ring, it can get tangled and pulled on the sheets, clothes, etc. Ever hear the expression “when in doubt do with out”? Same goes for your ring. When in doubt, it’s safer to leave your bling at home.
4. Know how to take your ring off. Now that we know it’s okay to take the ring off. It’s important you learn know how to take it off correctly. If you take off your ring in a manner that is not optimal you can risk causing damage to your piece of jewelry. Most common damage we have seen by people who carelessly take off their rings is ruining the construction or misshaping the ring or loosening, popping or losing stones. It is best to not rush the ring off but to take a diligent 7-10 seconds (even if that seems drastic) to carefully remove the ring. Always, take the ring off by the shank of the band and NOT the center diamond itself.
5. Don't ignore your hands. While, before it may not have mattered what your fingers were doing now they are the home to a precious work of art and it is important to be more aware with what you are doing with your ring. Be aware of your movements. Many people are fidgeters, we tap pens, feet, and even rings! Many clients don’t even realize they are making the same motions in the way they type or do house work where they are banging their ring and causing damage to the prongs of the ring and eating away at the metal causing structural issues over time.
6. Store your jewelry properly. Don’t leave your piece of jewelry just laying around the house. Would you do that with $10,000 in cash, with a piece of art? NO, you would secure them and protect them and make sure they are well hidden and cared for and as safe as possible. Knowing how to travel with your jewelry is also very important. Travel with a jewelry case and in some cases depending where you are going, its ok to either (a) leave the ring at home for a few days or (b) have a back up “costume travel ring”.
7. Let the pros do what they do best. Too many clients we see try to clean their rings on their own and end up damaging the ring more then helping. There are many tools and tips out there you can read about, but when in doubt and to be on the safe side and to get the most out of your ring, bring it to us, the Pros and let us professionally Polish, Clean, Steam your ring. Schedule timely maintenance check ups (prong re-tightening, checking for loose stones, polishing,etc..), don’t just wait until something happens to bring it in. There are people who say use toothbrushes, jewelry cleaners, various other liquid combinations, etc.. The best tool is hot steam. Hot steam is what gets all of the hand lotion, cream, dirt, grease out of your ring. So women if you want to have that special ring, sparkle and bling that much more, then buy your man a Cappuccino machine and you can reap the benefits of the Hot Steam to clean your Ring while he sips his cappuccino.
Yes your ring is meant to be worn and loved and cherished and not meant to be sitting in a glass case where you should never take it out, but just know how to care for it, when to care for it, and if something does happen to it, it’s OK fellas don’t worry, bring it to us and we will take care of it!
What exactly is the best way to care for your ring responsibly? We are going to break it down and give you our inside scoop of the do’s and definitely do not’s of caring for your jewelry with our seven tips below...
1. Get your ring insured. First and foremost take that appraisal and get your ring insured, get your ring insured, GET YOUR RING INSURED. Don’t think it can’t happen to you because frankly it can! Despite what people think, a diamond can be damaged. Not to mention: stolen, lost, misplaced, and a long list of other unfortunate situations. GET YOUR RING INSURED!
2. Make sure it's the correct size. Knowing and maintaining the correct ring size is very important to keeping your ring in good condition. If your ring is not sized correctly it is not good it. If it’s too big your ring can slide off your finger and get banged easily. If your ring is too small it can alter the construction of the jewelry by yanking too hard for it to come off and also cause circulation issues and other medical conditions.
3. It's OK to take off your ring. Many people are wrong in thinking that your ring is to be worn at all times. A delicate piece of jewelry is not made to never come off. Many people think that their ring is indestructible. That they can go anywhere with it, do anything with it, carry out normal activities with it. Boy, are they wrong! Your ring is a precious work of art, so it needs to be treated like one! At Josh Levkoff Jewelry we often have to act as diamond doctors by helping to repair jewelry from accidents caused by activities that should not have been done while wearing your ring. Don’t play sports or go the gym with your ring. Don’t go swimming with your ring as your fingers shrink in cold water and the ring could slip off easily, don’t do yardwork in the ring. Don’t sleep in your ring, it can get tangled and pulled on the sheets, clothes, etc. Ever hear the expression “when in doubt do with out”? Same goes for your ring. When in doubt, it’s safer to leave your bling at home.
4. Know how to take your ring off. Now that we know it’s okay to take the ring off. It’s important you learn know how to take it off correctly. If you take off your ring in a manner that is not optimal you can risk causing damage to your piece of jewelry. Most common damage we have seen by people who carelessly take off their rings is ruining the construction or misshaping the ring or loosening, popping or losing stones. It is best to not rush the ring off but to take a diligent 7-10 seconds (even if that seems drastic) to carefully remove the ring. Always, take the ring off by the shank of the band and NOT the center diamond itself.
5. Don't ignore your hands. While, before it may not have mattered what your fingers were doing now they are the home to a precious work of art and it is important to be more aware with what you are doing with your ring. Be aware of your movements. Many people are fidgeters, we tap pens, feet, and even rings! Many clients don’t even realize they are making the same motions in the way they type or do house work where they are banging their ring and causing damage to the prongs of the ring and eating away at the metal causing structural issues over time.
6. Store your jewelry properly. Don’t leave your piece of jewelry just laying around the house. Would you do that with $10,000 in cash, with a piece of art? NO, you would secure them and protect them and make sure they are well hidden and cared for and as safe as possible. Knowing how to travel with your jewelry is also very important. Travel with a jewelry case and in some cases depending where you are going, its ok to either (a) leave the ring at home for a few days or (b) have a back up “costume travel ring”.
7. Let the pros do what they do best. Too many clients we see try to clean their rings on their own and end up damaging the ring more then helping. There are many tools and tips out there you can read about, but when in doubt and to be on the safe side and to get the most out of your ring, bring it to us, the Pros and let us professionally Polish, Clean, Steam your ring. Schedule timely maintenance check ups (prong re-tightening, checking for loose stones, polishing,etc..), don’t just wait until something happens to bring it in. There are people who say use toothbrushes, jewelry cleaners, various other liquid combinations, etc.. The best tool is hot steam. Hot steam is what gets all of the hand lotion, cream, dirt, grease out of your ring. So women if you want to have that special ring, sparkle and bling that much more, then buy your man a Cappuccino machine and you can reap the benefits of the Hot Steam to clean your Ring while he sips his cappuccino.
Yes your ring is meant to be worn and loved and cherished and not meant to be sitting in a glass case where you should never take it out, but just know how to care for it, when to care for it, and if something does happen to it, it’s OK fellas don’t worry, bring it to us and we will take care of it!