There are very few things in life comparable to a bespoke engagement ring in terms of sentimentality and value. You might own things that have cost more money – your house, for example! But they’re items that you’re unlikely to carry around with you. And there aren’t many things that engender quite so much emotion as your engagement ring. Because it symbolises so much. It is, in essence, your relationship with your partner, your commitment and fidelity, made solid. So, it stands to reason that you’ll want to look after it. But how do you do that?

Here we have a few tips to help you keep your custom engagement ring sparkling for decades to come.

5 Tips to Make Sure Your Custom Engagement Ring Lasts Forever

1. Keep your engagement ring clean

Whether it’s the oil from your skin or dirt from day to day tasks, all kinds of residue can build up on an engagement ring. It can impact the shine of the stones and make the band appear tarnished.  Cleaning at home is extremely simple:

• Mix a tiny drop of chlorine-free washing up liquid into a bowl of warm water and leave your ring to soak for around 10 minutes.
• Gently clean the ring with a soft cloth, soak for another 10 minutes, then clean again.
• Being sure to place the plug before you begin, carefully rinse the ring under warm running water.
• Dry with a soft, lint-free cloth.

While cleaning at home will help your custom engagement ring to keep its lustre, a professional cleaner will be able to remove difficult to reach dirt round the stone and setting. While the recommendation is to do this annually, in real life it’s easy to let time get away from you. So, just book this in whenever you can manage it.

2. Always remove your ring when handling chemicals or dealing with hands-on activities

Chemicals such as bleach can easily tarnish precious metals and work to erode gemstones. So, if you’re cleaning or likely to be handling chemicals for any other reason, take your engagement ring off first and store it somewhere safe until you’re finished.

The same applies if you’re doing any hands-on activities – gardening, sport, furniture moving, decorating. This will prevent the ring from being lost or damaged.

3. Try to avoid removing your ring in public places

That being said, one of the easiest ways to lose an engagement ring, or to have it stolen, is to take it off in a public place. Sometimes, it’s impossible to avoid. But if you do think that you’re probably going to need to remove your ring, be careful where you put it. Even better, plan ahead and leave your ring safely at home.

4. Avoid having your ring resized more than once

Our hands change over time. Illness and pregnancy can make our fingers swell. Temporary weight loss associated with ill health can make our fingers thinner. While it’s understandable that you’ll want to wear your bespoke engagement ring as much as possible, having it resized too often can weaken the metal. If you think the change is going to be temporary – pregnancy doesn’t last forever, even if it sometimes feels like it! – just put your ring away in a safe place (in its original box, if you possibly can) until you’re ready to wear it again.

5. Insure your custom engagement ring

Most bespoke engagement rings will appreciate in value as time passes. By having your ring estimated every five years or so, you can be sure that in the event that it is lost, damaged or stolen, you will receive its true value. Then, you can return to Durham Rose to get a replacement ring created based upon the blueprints of your original design. We keep the details of every ring we make on record, so although we won’t be able to return your original engagement ring, we can give you the next best thing.

We don’t need to tell you how precious your custom engagement ring is. The feeling you experienced when you received it tells you everything you need to know. But that’s why you need to put in a little effort to look after it. And may be one day, it will become the most treasured object of one of your grandchildren.

Are you interested in designing your own custom engagement ring? Find out how Durham Rose can help.