Mom's With 2 or more under 5 - what ring do you wear?

[CRYSTAL24K]

Our 10 year anniversary is coming up and I am interested in getting a platinum ring that I can pretty much do everything in (except swim, sleep and shower). I am a stay at home mom to super active and messy and totally lovable twin boys who will be 3 on Christmas Eve. The dilemma is that I enjoy seeing the bling, but rarely wear my engagement ring because it gets mucky and banged around a lot during my daily activities.

I have read that a lot of PS'ers have 5 or 7 stone rings. Are they comfortable and practical for daily wear? I am contemplating getting a 1 carat 5 or 7 stone ring from WF but am also thinking that a half eternity bezel ring with 5 pointers (ala BGD) might work also. I am concerned that I will lose some bling because of the bezel.

I am curious to know what rings you wear and would love to hear/see examples.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

Here are examples of the rings that I am interested in. I also added a bead set ring.

 

[Laila619]

Hi,

I will soon be a mom to 4 under 4 (3.5 year old, 1.5 year old, and twin newborns) and I don't generally wear any rings on a daily basis, but I have a plain 3mm comfort fit band and a diamond band with 9 x 0.07. The diamond band has 4 prongs per diamond, so I feel like it's very secure and comfy. http://www.uniquesettings.com/products/show/5747?from_style=1
A bezel band would be nice and secure too.

 

[yssie]

Dear lord... Laila, forget rings - you're in line for a freakin' trophy.

My very useful contribution to this thread.

 

[Calliecake]

Dear lord... Laila, forget rings - you're in line for a freakin' trophy.

My very useful contribution to this thread.

+1000. Yssie, Your post had me laughing out loud.

Sorry I have nothing to contribute Crystal.

 

[MonkeysInk]

I have an older daughter, and my boys are 2 and 3. I wear a BGD Dream every day, sometimes with my solitaire, sometimes without. It sparkles like mad in the park or digging in the dirt.

 

[Rosebloom]

Laila - I bow to you!!

I have two little ones. I wear my sapphire three stone daily now. But when the youngest was under 2 I was most comfortable in my five stone (.28ct cushions). Since you love bling, I'd recommend getting the biggest ideal cut MRB five stone you can afford/will comfortably fit between your fingers. Have it well set and as low as possible. With mine it is truly as comfortable as a band and so wonderfully fun to look at. Now, I have a little finger "padding" so the band doesn't rotate at all. If it was spinning all the time that might be different.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

Hi,

I will soon be a mom to 4 under 4 (3.5 year old, 1.5 year old, and twin newborns) and I don't generally wear any rings on a daily basis, but I have a plain 3mm comfort fit band and a diamond band with 9 x 0.07. The diamond band has 4 prongs per diamond, so I feel like it's very secure and comfy. http://www.uniquesettings.com/products/show/5747?from_style=1
A bezel band would be nice and secure too.

How exciting! I love my boys and would love another set of twins, but, alas, hubby is "done". My friends who had singletons before having twins said that their singletons were a great help!

Thanks for the ring advice also!

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

MonkeysInk- I love the Dream! Thank you for your input!

Rosebloom- I love your 3 stone! So beautiful. Thank you for your input also!

 

[lizzyann]

Hi Crystal, I have two boys - 5 and 2 years old! I wear my engagement ring daily along with a channel set wedding band! Haven't had any issues. I don't wear them to the gym, dishes, swimming etc, but I wear it everywhere else! I've had all kinds of sticky messes on my rings, but with a good clean all is new again!

 

[Bling it on]

Crystal - this is exactly my predicament! Except I'm coming up to my 5 year anniversary not 10. I have a 3.5 year old and my baby just turned 7 months. I hate my original solitaire engagement ring now (scratchy prongs, medium high setting, questionable cut diamond) and have taken recently to just wearing a thin diamond band. But I need more bling!
This morning I just ordered the 5 stone shared prong diamond band in the 1.00 ct total weight version from Whiteflash. Can't wait to get it! I'm going to probably wear it stacked with another one of my existing bands, but it looks so comfy! I will let you know what I think in about 2 weeks time.
I also considered a 5 stone in 1.25 tcw from IDJ as they have great prices but ultimately I went with WF so I could have ACA diamonds

 

[Circe]

I have one two and a half year old and another on the way. Things might change with two, but ... so far, I've worn my solitaire and a variety of bands, as well as a few dinner/cocktail rings (I've never had the "I bang it into stuff" issue arise, for some reason - this may just be because as a babygoth, I wore what were basically brass knuckles day in and day out, so a couple of diamonds ain't going to get in the way). The only things I baby are my more fragile stones - the emeralds don't tend to come out unless I know it's going to be a playground-free day.

I think if you want a five-stone because you want a five-stone, get it! But if it's the worry about getting bling gunked up that stops you from wearing your solitaire ... wouldn't a five stone just give you five times as many galleries/azures/prongs for things to get caught on or stuck in?

If you're concerned about safety, bezel or channel set would definitely be the safest (and I'm a fan of the look, all the way). From what I've seen on my own hands, stones with bigger facets don't seem to show crud as much as stones with smaller facets: my french cuts, baguettes, and OECs all look brilliant for longer than my MRBs do (I am sure there is a concise way to explain the optics, but I'm not finding it on the tip of my tongue). So maybe a five-stone of single cuts or OECs would give you the look and peace of mind you want? But in the meantime, I say rock the solitaire! It's worth seeing the sparkle to whip the tiny toothbrush out once or twice a day ....

P.S. - I just noticed your "sleep, swim, or shower" caveat ... I wear mine for all three. I'm a bad PS'r! But, truth, in twenty years of wearing my jewelry hard, the only stones I've ever lost have been, a) a melee in an ultrasonic, b) a stone from a pendant in a hot tub, and, c) a stone from a bracelet in the ocean. It did teach me I should skip the aquatic activities, but so long as you stop short of operating a jackhammer, I think your rings will probably stand up to your doing your worst, should they need to.

 

[yssie]

Congrats Circe!!!

 

[Circe]

Congrats Circe!!!

Thanks Yssie! I'm excited but sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy.

 

[isaku5]

Congrats Circe!!!

Thanks Yssie! I'm excited but sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy.

Congratulations, Circe!!!

As a mom of two born 14 months apart I hear your concern. I was a SAHM for several years until our older child went to kindergarten. At home, I wore a plain gold band. On the odd occasion we were able to go out, it was my wedding set (after the post-baby swelling went down).

After I came home from school, all rings were taken off. That protected rings from being damaged by wear or being swallowed by kiddies.

All the best to you.

 

[Winks_Elf]

Our four children are older now, ranging in ages of 8 through 16, but when they were babies, I wore a bezel set 5-stone band. It was wider, and low-set. I left my solitaire in the ring box unless we were going out somewhere, or the little ones were asleep. I've had my Vatche Grace halo for three years now, and Ruby was only 5. I picked it out because the kids still climbed all over me, and I didn't want to scratch them. It's a low set ring as far as engagement rings go, and the prongs never scratch anyone.

Now that they're older, I get to wear my rings again, but when I'm cleaning I only wear my channel set eternity band.

 

[Logan Sapphire]

Congratulations, Circe!

Mine are a little older than what you asked for (4 and 6), but I wore a three stone trellis and a channel set band all the time with no issues. I recently switched to a halo so not sure how durable that would've been had I owned it when the kids were younger.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

Lizzyann- Thanks so much for your input!

Becleeham- Can't wait to see pics of your new ring! Now that you've made your decision, I am sure you can't wait to have the new ring on your finger!

Circe- Congrats regarding the upcoming bundle of joy! Regarding the rings, you made a great point about a 5 stone with the gunk. I really do want a 5 stone but I will wait until a later anniversary because I think I want a 5 stone AVC from GOG and will have to save the $$ for the ctw I want and the boys will be older then. (edited to add previous sentence)

WinksElf- I love the idea of a 5 stone bezel!

LoganSapphire- Thanks!

PS is full of great inspiration and a wealth of knowledge!

 

[lioness]

Frankly, I tend to baby my rings since I chipped the center stone, a sapphire, on my first engagement ring. After I had it reset so that the chip was covered by a prong, everything came off the second I walked through the door during my first marriage and I take off everything now except for a thin gold wedding band that FI gave me so that I could wear it all the time. If I'm going to be out with the kids someplace where my e-ring could get banged up or mucky, I wear a bead set half-eternity with the band. Otherwise, I wear the e-ring with the band or with the band and the half-eternity when I'm feeling fancy-schmantcy.

 

[lknvrb4]

I am a Mom of three and ran a licensed daycare out of my home. I always wore my engagement ring no matter what. I figured it is beautiful, insured, and I cleaned it daily, why would I not wear it?

 

[motownmama]

I had my fourth before my first turned 6yrs, so I get your predicament. I did choose to wear all my bling; I will admit that maybe twice I gave a little poke on the changing table with my ER. Other than that, I wore 2 channel bands and a very low-set 5-stone along with it. The channels are great for not scratching babies and don't snag. Mine are eternities, so they can spin and it's no biggie. Of course, they did/do get gunked up and that's when I'd plunk them in the ultrasonic weekly (or more). However, fast forward and I now have a Tiffany Etoile in plat that I got off eBay for 1/2 retail. That's really really easy to wear. BTW - The shower, harsh chemicals are the only times I don't wear my rings. I'm a 24/7 kinda gal and 20 years into marriage they're looking pretty darn good, if I do say so myself!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have two boys, 5 and 3, and I wear my solitaire all the time. It's 8mm and prong set in a platinum bezel. The ring is a tank! The ring is die struck, so basically as hard as steal for all practical purposes. It's perfect for an active lifestyle. I don't wear it showering, working out, etc for my own comfort, but it could more than withstand those activities.

I also have a five stone that is prong set and fairly high stance. I have found I cannot wear it during child care and other active activities it bangs around too much. So I only wear it to work or going out. I will likely reset it in the future into a lower stance, perhaps bezeled setting. But the setting is old and not well made. The prongs are not well done and repairs don't seem to solve the issues. A newer style prong-set five stone with a lower stance might be fine for most types of wear.

 

[fritzi]

I have two girls ages 2 and 4 years old and I wear my 2+ carat asscher solitaire and my 1-carat eternity band all of the time. I did ultimately invest in a ultrasonic cleaner to keep them clean. For me, I cannot imagine not wearing my rings. I do remove some of my bracelets when I return home from work because they are more delicate.

 

[kenny]

I think a tension setting would be easiest ring to clean diaper poo out of.

 

[CRYSTAL24K]

lioness- We share the same concerns about rings. For you it was a chipped stone and for me it was a gorgeous setting that just didn't hold up to my klutziness. I was married for 6 months when I looked down at my first setting (I was in court reporting school at the time) to translate my tape when I noticed my diamond was crooked and was shocked that I could just push the stone back to the center. My current setting is much thicker- although it hides much of my stone. Plus, now I have to take my ring to get checked out because I think my stone is chipped. Thank God for insurance!

Motownmama, lknvrb4, Fritzi- I love your jewelry personalities! You all are braver than I am- LOL. My rings are insured, but I am still cautious.

DreamerD- Thanks for your input! Love all of your rings, current and past!

Kenny- LOL! Thanks for your input

 

[Tourmaline]

I have 4 kids, two of whom are under 5, and I wear my solitaire (in my profile pic) all the time. I am always aware of it and am pretty careful. I take it off only if I'm using power tools, haha!