Jewelry Care

Care Instructions for Rings

You cherish your gorgeous jewelry; use this helpful maintenance guide to understand how to look after it.

Take it Off

Believe it or not, oftentimes care for your ring involves taking it off, particularly when doing the following things:

• Sports: If you're left-handed, it's especially bad to hold a tennis racket tightly when wearing a ring that has stones all the way around. As for wearing your ring to the gym, it can be risky to lift weights while wearing it. You wouldn't want your stone to come into contact with a heavy dumbbell.
• Gardening: While performing strenuous yard work, it's easy to chip your stones or knock the settings free.

• Cleaning the house: Avoid wearing your wedding band while doing the dishes since abrasive chemical soaps or cleaners might stain the ring. When washing your hands, it's a good idea to remove your custom photo ring.

Safekeeping

• Make sure you have a safe -- and memorable -- place to put your ring if you want to remove it to engage in the aforementioned activities.
• Keep Lotions, Sunscreen, and Perfume Away. It's a good idea to take off your ring before applying product because these things can clog it up.
• These items can stain colored gemstones and even tarnish diamonds. Take off your ring before putting these things on; it's a good idea.
• Check your setting frequently.
• The majority of jewelers advise having your setting examined every six months to make sure nothing has loosened up.
• REMEMBER NOT TO SWIM IN THE OCEAN WEARING YOUR RING!If you lose the ring in the deep blue sea, you won't be able to find it again because cold water may cause your fingers to shrink just enough to allow the ring to slip off your finger.
• Take Care When Cooking. With your fingertips, you can easily combine cookie dough, turkey loaf, and piecrust. However, these substances may leave a film on your ring and significantly reduce its brilliance.

Keep It Clean

Take advantage of this courtesy by having your ring cleaned by a jeweler, which is usually a free service. There are a few methods you may use to clean your ring at home if you don't have time to go to the jewelry store.

Maven Jewelry advises cleaning lotion buildup from the mounting's bottom with a mild dish detergent. Just use a gentle toothbrush to scrape the top and bottom, and then thoroughly rinse with hot water. If you want your ring to shine even more, immerse it in a small dish of ammonia that has been diluted three times in water before using a soft toothbrush to gently brush the top and bottom of the mounting.

To ensure that all of the solution is removed, dip the ring into the solution once more and repeatedly rinse it in warm water. The ring can be gently patted dry or placed on a soft cloth to dry.

REMEMBER TO USE a strainer if you're doing this over an open drain.