10 Things NOT To Do When Wearing Your Engagement Ring

So, who doesn’t love wearing rings? We at Bogart’s Jewellers fully support that. We encourage you to wear your beautiful, custom jewellery pieces during any occasion ...except for these few instances:

1. Water Activities  

Never, and we repeat, never wear rings while swimming or during any water activities including water sports.

Cooler water can cause your fingers to shrink making it easier for your rings to slip off, even your custom engagement ring that’s a perfect fit. Prolonged exposure to chemicals found in a pool such as chlorine can also cause damage. 

It is always better to leave your rings in a safe place or at home before hitting the water, so all of your pieces remain in pristine condition.

2. Applying Lotions 

Lotion and beauty products easily build up and can dull the stones in your rings. We highly recommend putting on any lotion before you wear jewellery to avoid this.  

Hairspray is another product that can be harsh on your jewellery. Hairspray will cause a noticeable film to build up on your jewellery over time. This film can dull the brightness of the stones and metal of the ring. Make sure to follow the same rule for hair spray and apply it before you wear your jewellery.

3. Exercise 

Exercise is a great way to keep your body fit and healthy, but keep in mind that any sort of physical activity can be harsh on your rings.

While exercising, sweat and grease can build up over time and have a negative impact on your ring’s appearance. If not cleaned frequently, sweat and grease will begin to build up and dull the look of your ring. 

We suggest leaving your jewellery on the side-lines to avoid any potential breaks, splits, cracks, loss of stones, or worse, the whole piece. 

We understand that mistakes can happen. That’s why at Bogart’s Jewellers, we offer ultrasonic jewellery cleaning services to keep your Bogart’s ring in excellent condition.

4. Gardening  

Rings are very susceptible to damage while gardening and it is important to remember that putting on gloves will not be enough to protect your ring. 

If you are gripping gardening tools very tightly and using great force, the rings can become misshapen and damaged. This is especially the case if the ring has gemstones. 

Rings with gemstones, such as diamond engagement rings, should never be worn while gardening as the stones can be knocked loose or even fall out.

The last thing you want to do is lose or damage your precious engagement ring. We definitely recommend not wearing any type of jewellery on your hands while gardening.

5. Cooking 

There are quite a few reasons why rings should not be worn while cooking. Here are a few: 

• You cannot wash your hands effectively while wearing rings. 
• Rings may accidentally drop into your food while cooking. 

• Dirt and bacteria from your ring can fall into your food.

Have you ever noticed how much dirt collects in the back of engagement rings? You would be surprised!

Jewellery, including rings, can collect and spread dirt and harmful bacteria which can fall into the food. Food safety protocols suggest that no rings except for a plain band, and no bracelets (including medical bracelets) be worn while cooking.

Commercial kitchens also require you to remove rings and other ornaments.

Heat and cleaning products can damage your Jewellery. So, it is definitely better not to wear rings or Jewellery while cooking to avoid spoiling the food or Jewellery.

6. Primping  

Soft stones like pearls are not an exception to jewellery durability rules. They are a delicate gemstone and they should always go on last.

Never do primping, use hairspray, or put on makeup while wearing Pearls. Pearls have a lustre that can be damaged easily by many chemicals. 

Rings with pearls and other soft stones must always be worn last to ensure their durability. 

7. Cleaning with Chemicals 

Chlorine and other common household chemicals such as bleaches, deep cleaners, solvents, etc., can affect karat gold causing a condition called stress corrosion. 

These chemicals affect the metals mixed in with the gold, causing the rings to crack and break. Unfortunately, they cannot be saved if this occurs.  

Moreover, there is a chemical reaction caused because of these harsh chemicals taking place at the microscopic grain boundaries in the alloys that often weaken the bonds between them thus allowing easy breakage of the metal. 

8. Operating machinery 

It can be life-threatening to operate machinery while wearing rings.

While operating machinery, your rings could come into contact with, or get stuck in moving parts of the machine. Operating machinery while wearing rings is extremely dangerous and can potentially damage your jewellery. 

Bracelets and necklaces are likely to get caught or snagged as you are moving around, and you may find yourself retracing your steps to figure out where they fell off. If they do not get caught on something, they are likely to get tangled together and could break when trying to separate them.

If you're operating any machinery, it's probably best to leave your precious diamond ring at home.

9. Playing Sports 

All rings and jewellery should be taken off before any sport or activity to avoid the possibility of loss or damage. Wearing rings while playing sports can also be very dangerous.

For example, if you injure your hand and swelling occurs, the ring may become stuck on your finger. This can be painful and can cause circulation issues. In extreme cases, the ring may need to be cut off if it cannot be removed. 

We recommend you play it safe and leave your jewellery off the field.

10. Doing the dishes 

Can I wear my ring while doing the dishes? 

No. We highly recommend that you take off rings while washing dishes.

Harsh chemicals and soaps can discolour the rings and damage the metal. Not only this, any loose stones can potentially fall out and get washed away forever.

Most dish soaps contain several harsh chemicals and dyes that can not only harm the surface of the metals in your diamond rings, but can also dull and scratch the finish of the diamonds themselves. 

Many rings found in Newfoundland jewellery stores are often finished with a polished surface or a surface treatment.  

Chemicals containing bleach, for example, are super harsh and can strip this surface treatment and affect the finished surface leaving it looking dull or even disintegrating the metal. 

Most gold rings are an alloy (made with other metals) to make it tougher because pure 24 karat gold is far too soft on its own.

Bleach and chlorine (pools, hot tubs, etc) can break down these other alloys and over time cause issues such as cracks and weakened solder joints. 

Though stones can be replaced, and metals can be refinished, it is always advisable to remove your rings before washing dishes. 

Luckily, Bogart’s Jewellers offers an insurance policy through our third party, Jewelers Mutual. Our insurance policy will cover you if an unfortunate event ever happens to you.

At the end of the day, we recommend that you remove all rings while doing the dishes to prevent these issues.

Our Solution..? 

If you prefer to always be wearing your ring, we’ve got you covered!

At Bogart’s Jewellers, we offer ultrasonic jewellery cleaning services to ensure that your ring always shines. We also offer engagement ring inspections on all rings purchased from Bogart’s. 

We recommend getting your ring inspected every 6 months at Bogart’s Jewellers to ensure your ring remains in excellent shape.

Our Tips

The safe alternative is to use cross flex silicone wedding bands - They can be worn doing anything and come in a variety of colours and styles for men and women.  

Our silicone wedding bands are an affordable alternative to wear, so if it ever becomes lost or damaged, you can simply get another one.