Should You Sleep in Your Engagement Ring?

When you first lay eyes on that beautiful rock, it can be hard to imagine ever taking it off. Diamonds are famously durable, and jewellery is crafted to be worn, not simply tucked away in a box. So can you sleep in your engagement ring? Technically yes, but we would advise against it. Here’s why…

Diamonds are extremely hard

This means they are very tricky to break, and can withstand a lot of wear. However, the hardness of diamonds can be a double edged sword. Diamonds are much harder than the metal that forms their setting in a ring. This means that any activity that causes your diamond to lean into the setting could cause your ring to wear itself out. If you are the kind of person who tosses and turns, or finds themselves in strange positions upon waking up, this advice is for you!

Blankets are the enemy of prongs

A prong or claw set diamond is a very popular centre stone for an engagement ring. This is a very secure setting style, and allows for a lot of light refraction through the stone. Despite being secure, this setting still requires some care to ensure it remains firmly attached.

Prongs are annealed and then bent by hand to hold the stone securely. This means that it is possible to bend a prong back outwards away from the stone with the right amount of force. If you sleep in your engagement ring, you run the risk of catching the prongs holding your stone in the threads of your blankets. Over time, this can cause your stone to loosen and even eventually fall out!

Plating is vulnerable to your pH

If your engagement ring is made from white gold, then the likelihood is that it has been plated with rhodium. This is a common practice with white gold to ensure a uniform, silvery white colour. Rhodium is a very robust plating material, which is very hard wearing. Despite this, any plated jewellery needs to be properly cared for to make sure it lasts forever.

Plating generally needs to be re-applied after a year or so. Some things can make plating wear away more quickly. That’s things like exposure to liquids or chemicals such as soap or sweat. The chemical reactions from sweat can be quite corrosive to plating. Removing your rings while you are sleeping is a good way to avoid excessive exposure.

Tips for caring for your engagement ring

• Have your ring checked by a jeweller at least once per year

Your jeweller will be able to check the strength of each stone setting, and tighten up any loosening stones. They can also clean your ring properly with tools like an ultrasonic which will remove micro grime and hard to see dirt.

• Keep a soft jewellery cloth to hand to buff away any marks

Using a cloth designed for the metal and stones in your ring is really key to keeping them maintained. Jewellery cloths have micro fibres that won’t get caught in settings. They are designed to quickly remove the grease that is naturally attracted to diamonds.

• Remove your ring during hands-on activities

Whether you’re doing household chores or lifting weights at the gym, your hands are right in the line of fire for big bumps and little knocks. Even the most durable precious metals like platinum are no match for every day materials like stainless steel. That’s cutlery, weight bars, hand rails etc. Failing to remove your ring during these activities will inevitably lead to a very scratched and worn looking ring.

If you’re worried about losing your ring, why not purchase a ring holding chain to wear around your neck for when you need to remove it?

• Avoid using harsh chemicals

This may sound like a no-brainer, but you might be surprised at what is considered a harsh chemical. Things like dish and hand soap contain strong sulphates which can erode plating and delicate settings over time. They are also likely to get caught in between your ring and your hand, which is a very good way to get contact dermatitis.

• Keep ring dishes around the house

This is the best way to get into good habits around removing and replacing your engagement ring. Having dedicated ring drop areas means you know exactly where to look for it. It also helps to remind you when to take it off!

By Indra Dryden-Shaw