Wearing white gold diamond ring 24/7?

[DoeEyes]

I'm still waiting on my engagement ring but in the meantime I was reading about care. I've heard people talking about "babying" their ring, cleaning it daily, taking it off to shower/swim/clean, etc.

Ideally, I'd like to wear my ring 24/7 and never take it off. I rarely swim in pools or the ocean, but I do go to the beach most weekends in the summer so it would be exposed to sand and I guess some salt water if I touch the wet sand playing with kids etc. We don't have a dish washer right now so I wash dishes by hand every night using Palmolive. I use bleach products and other harsh chemicals when I clean my house (might switch to gentler natural stuff at some point, but not yet). I work in an office setting.

I'm wondering if I never take my ring off, shower with it on, wash dishes, clean the house, occasionally swim in a pool or ocean, expose it to the beach 10-20 weekends a year, what should I expect? What will need to be repaired/replaced, and how long before it will be needed? I assume the diamond will be good no matter what (it's lab but should be identical to natural in terms of care) but what about the setting? I'll be getting the white gold rhodium dipped as needed, so I assume it will need redipping more frequently than if I were taming it off all the time and "babying" it, right? What about the prongs? Will they need to be checked/tightened more frequently? Should I plan to clean it once a week, more or less? What should I clean it with? I have a diamond dazzle stick already, what other stuff should I have? Baby toothbrush? Small dish to soak it in?

Just trying to get an idea of what to expect while I'm waiting for my precious. Thanks!

 

[motownmama]

I never take my rings off. Bleach would be an exception though.
My wedding sets are (1)YG, (2) Plat.
However, I wear white RHRs 24/7. Maybe re-rhodium plating but otherwise fine. And / I find that’s more to do with your body chemistry than anything else / but it’s quick and not that expensive.

 

[kmoro]

I’m kind of in the same boat ... but I generally take my ring off for cleaning ...
I would suggest getting used to gloves, for one thing, lol.

... doing everything rough while wearing a piece of fine jewelry is bound to risk damage to prongs leading to loss of the diamond ... not sure how often you should get it checked if you’re that hard on it ... but probably often! Once a month maybe?

 

[bludiva]

I would definitely take it off for swimming b/c what fits well or even tightly in normal circumstances can slide right off your finger without you noticing in the water.

Our wedding bands are wg and neither hubs nor I have had any discoloration yet. He wears his pretty much 24/7.

Imho: Cleaning with a soft toothbrush and a drop of dishsoap works well and is easy to do frequently, ultrasonic works a bit better but takes more time/effort, having a jeweler clean it with their industrial strength machines works crazy well and many will offer a free clean while you browse.

My jeweler recommended having prongs checked every few months. It should take some force for a prong to get loose but you could always check with a loupe at home whenever you do you deep cleans in between jeweler visits.

I was just thinking today we need to see that ring on your hand! Happy holidays

 

[Bron357]

My rings are 18ct white gold rhodium plated. I only take my engagement ring off to wash my hair as the ring gets loose with the hair shampoo. It has tiny scratches / dents on the underneath part from years of wear but that’s to be expected with 18ct gold. It does need replating every 12 months and a buff and polish removes the worse of the signs of wear. I wear gloves to do washing up, gardening and cleaning the bathroom with chemicals but that’s more about protecting and looking after my skin rather than the rings.

 

[DoeEyes]

I was just thinking today we need to see that ring on your hand! Happy holidays

Tell me about it! He's making me wait! Maybe Christmas or New Year's? I'm keeping my hopes low so I'm not disappointed.

 

[LaylaR]

I baby most of my jewelry. My engagement ring only gets worn out of the house, and not when I am working out so they get little to no wear. But my bands I’m tougher on. Two of the ones I stack are white gold. I wear gloves when cleaning because I use a lot of bleach. I do not wear any jewelry swimming--ever. But I do occasionally wear my bands in the shower. Most of the time I don’t though, my ultrasonic is in the bathroom and I put my rings in there most of the time when I shower. I rhodium plate them about once a year. I check all my own prongs and jewelry with a loupe occasionally. And I check the pieces I wear frequently about once a month.

 

[foxinsox]

I wear my wedding set for pretty much everything but cooking, gardening and weightlifting. I don’t swim but I think I would take it off if I did. I would be wary of wearing it in salt water because it makes your fingers shrink and you could have your ring slip off without realising.
I check my rings every other week - ostensibly for wear etc but mostly cos I like looking thru the loupe at them

 

[josieKat]

I have been wearing my white gold three stone ring for two years now, only taking it off in order to put my wedding band on. Sun, sea, sand, swimming, cleaning, etc. Now, I'm not sanding wood in it, and I did have to be careful climbing down a lava rocky cliff in Hawaii so I didn't scratch up the back of it, but so far so good (my personal chemistry also doesn't wear off the rhodium at all quickly). I also, however, have a big knuckle and even when my hands shrink to their smallest it takes significant effort to get the ring off so I don't have to be worried about it falling off in the water; if I had more tapered fingers I'd probably be more wary of it falling off while swimming.

 

[rockysalamander]

I destroy white gold and am highly allergic to the chemicals created in the presence of nickel. I avoid it altogether. That aside, I only wear solid colored metals, platinum for my daily rings...yellow and rose for fun pieces. I'm just too hard on rings.

Regardless of metal, I don't advise swimming in them -- salt water being the worst for shrinkage of the fingers. There is a reason folks with metal detectors focus on swimming beaches (salt and freshwater). If you must, add a tight band to the outside, silver or titanium is fine.

 

[eapj]

I switch up what I wear as wedding and engagement rings but won’t baby them at all. While it’s true that what I own isn’t nearly as valuable as what many PSers have, I think what I do have should be enjoyed. Why own it if it sits in a box all but a few hours a week, month or year? Just my personal philosophy.

I wash dishes, clean, etc. in jewelry. I use natural cleaning products but usually wear gloves to protect my skin, like @Bron357. I don’t have too much white gold but wouldn’t act any differently l if I did. Many men wear their wedding ring 24/7 so why not women? And short of losing a stone, you can always get your ring repaired if need be.

Hope you get it on your finger soon!

 

[MamaBee]

I take mine off when I’m cooking something messy and washing pots and pans with Brillo. If I doing regular dishes I leave them on but I’m very careful...I usually take them off and plop them in my ultrasonic that has Dawn dishwashing liquid and water..I don’t even turn it on because I keep my jewelry very clean.. When I’m done with the dishes I rinse them in hot water and dry with a paper towel and put them back on but I always take them off before bed. It sounds time consuming but it takes less than a minute.I wouldn’t wear my jewelry to the beach if I was going to play in the sand. It’s very abrasive and I wouldn’t want to take a chance on scratching the setting.. I would leave it at home and not even bring it there as you could lose it and never find it once it fell in the sand.
I’ve been thinking about you @frogplus and hope you remember us and post all the details! I’m hoping for Christmas but maybe New Years? He could be a crafty one and do it after when you’re disappointed..I hope not!

 

[cmd2014]

My husband wears his WG ring 24/7. I'm not sure it would even come off at this point. It's 18 years old and holding up really well.

For my diamond e-ring and wedding band, I take them off when I'm at the beach, when swimming, when washing dishes, showering, sleeping, and any time I'm doing anything messy or with chemicals. Just personal preference.

 

[blueMA]

My platinum wedding band is always on me and looks pretty much the same since the first year (after it developed the patina) and I never rhodium plated it. The first few scratches were the toughest to bear, but then now it simply looks frosted/brushed.

I never wear my diamond e-ring (platinum 3 stone setting) through any house chores, and I don't even like to wash my hands with it on. Why? because you'll notice that diamonds look completely different when perfectly clean vs tainted with a bit of water spots and soap scums. If I don't take off my diamond ring, I end up spending time to clean it to anyhow to enjoy the mega sparkles again.

 

[MeowMeow]

I baby mine a little bit but mostly I prefer to just wear it. Mine come off my fingers pretty much only for cleaning and if I am doing heavy lifting like with furniture or weights at the gym. Partly because heavy lifting can warp it. If you bump it just right it can absolutely break, and because degloving is terrifying. One of my worst nightmares once I learned what it was.

Basically cooking, light cleaning, showering, and sleeping my ring stays on. I just wear gloves to keep it from getting gross when I cook, clean, and do laundry to give it some bump protection.

I don't really swim or wear gold because of allergies so I couldn't say how good salt water and chlorine would be for gold.
And most of all... Insurance ! My set is insured so that if when I wear it it gets damaged i am covered. It might not help with losing the sentimental stone itself since it's my grandma's, but at least it helps me get something else to wear. I even insured my unmentionable to make sure I can get another one of it too.

 

[Karl_K]

Please dont wear it at the beach.
Growing up, we went camping every weekend and I had a metal detector and I ended up helping people find their rings at the beach several times a weekend sometimes. I also was always retrieving rings from the water with mask and snorkel.
There were a lot of times I could not find it and the Lady went home crying her eyes out and the guy fuming.
It made me a sad puppy.

 

[bmfang]

My YG wedding band and platinum ring is worn almost 24/7. Only times I don’t wear them are when i’m Doing anything involving water and/or soap/dishwashing liquid. So, they come off when i’m washing dishes, having a shower, or swimming.

 

[Ally T]

I wear my wedding rings, diamond studs & solitaire pendant 24/7. I take them off to shower (conditioner is a bugger to clean from prongs) & wear rubber gloves for household work. I also wear gardening gloves when clipping the shrubbery. Every December my engagement & eternity rings, plus some inherited pieces, have to be re-appraised as part of my policy, and they give them a good clean & prong check at the same time, I have never had them polished as I love the natural patina to match my wedding band, which has never come off.

I have some 18ct white gold RHR’s which periodically have had to be rhodium plated, but never any issue with prongs, diamonds or general wear & tear. FYI - I am hard on my hands. Really hard. I have bent & buckled & chipped things in the past. But my wedding set (married just over 11 years) are fine.

I clean them with a baby toothbrush, washing up liquid & hot water. Once every couple of months they go in the ultrasonic. But only if i’m feeling fancy!

 

[ringo865]

I wear my white gold solitaire 24/7. Unless I’m wearing my rose gold solitaire 24/7. Cook, sleep, shower, garden (gloves usually). No pave though. And I do not rhodium plate the wg.

 

[kmoro]

I destroy white gold and am highly allergic to the chemicals created in the presence of nickel. I avoid it altogether. That aside, I only wear solid colored metals, platinum for my daily rings...yellow and rose for fun pieces. I'm just too hard on rings.

Regardless of metal, I don't advise swimming in them -- salt water being the worst for shrinkage of the fingers. There is a reason folks with metal detectors focus on swimming beaches (salt and freshwater). If you must, add a tight band to the outside, silver or titanium is fine.

Now I know what I’m doing on my next beach vacation! lol
(not entirely kidding)

 

[AprilBaby]

My grandmother wore her ring from 1926 to 1983 and never took it off a day in her life. She went to the beach every summer, washed clothes with a scrub board and did dishes every night. My cousin is now wearing the ring and it’s as beautiful as can be!

 

[DoeEyes]

Thanks everyone for all this awesome advice!

My biggest concern with taking it off was losing it, which is why I just wanted to leave it on all the time. I do take off my watch every time I shower and that's already become a habit, so if I just make sure to get a cute ring dish to keep by my bed where I leave my watch, I think losing it in the house won't be an issue. I might get a second ring dish for the kitchen so I can take it off while cooking, but I'll make sure that dish is far away from the sink to avoid an accidental fall down the drain.

I might still keep it on at the beach. We stay at my boyfriend's family's house almost every weekend in the summer. There are kids in the house, and one little girl who loves jewelry. She's 3 so she doesn't understand costume jewelry vs expensive jewelry, she just likes sparkly things. I don't think I would feel comfortable leaving it in the house because it might accidentally get lost. I wouldn't want to leave it home completely because the point is to enjoy it, especially with family. I almost never go in the water, it's too cold and rough for me to enjoy, so I don't have to worry about it slipping off. If anything my fingers will be swollen from the heat. I'll just try to keep the sand away and make sure to clean it up when we get back from the beach. Both of his sisters and his mom wear their rings to the beach so I would be the odd one out if I didn't.

My ring was under $1k total and not irreplaceable, so if it were lost or damaged I definitely would not be devastated. So I'll do my best to keep it safe and protected, but overall to me the point of this ring is to wear it all the time every day!

I'll be sure to update with ring pics and the story as soon as it happens! Happy holidays to everyone. Send some good proposal juju my way please!

 

[MamaBee]

Thanks everyone for all this awesome advice!

My biggest concern with taking it off was losing it, which is why I just wanted to leave it on all the time. I do take off my watch every time I shower and that's already become a habit, so if I just make sure to get a cute ring dish to keep by my bed where I leave my watch, I think losing it in the house won't be an issue. I might get a second ring dish for the kitchen so I can take it off while cooking, but I'll make sure that dish is far away from the sink to avoid an accidental fall down the drain.

I might still keep it on at the beach. We stay at my boyfriend's family's house almost every weekend in the summer. There are kids in the house, and one little girl who loves jewelry. She's 3 so she doesn't understand costume jewelry vs expensive jewelry, she just likes sparkly things. I don't think I would feel comfortable leaving it in the house because it might accidentally get lost. I wouldn't want to leave it home completely because the point is to enjoy it, especially with family. I almost never go in the water, it's too cold and rough for me to enjoy, so I don't have to worry about it slipping off. If anything my fingers will be swollen from the heat. I'll just try to keep the sand away and make sure to clean it up when we get back from the beach. Both of his sisters and his mom wear their rings to the beach so I would be the odd one out if I didn't.

My ring was under $1k total and not irreplaceable, so if it were lost or damaged I definitely would not be devastated. So I'll do my best to keep it safe and protected, but overall to me the point of this ring is to wear it all the time every day!

I'll be sure to update with ring pics and the story as soon as it happens! Happy holidays to everyone. Send some good proposal juju my way please!

I will be thinking of you and sending juju your way! Haha! I can’t believe he’s making you wait so long..but it’s probably better this way because you did the ring deciding..and this puts the element of surprise back..I’m so excited for you!

 

[blueMA]

if it were lost or damaged I definitely would not be devastated. So I'll do my best to keep it safe and protected, but overall to me the point of this ring is to wear it all the time every day!

For many of us, an engagement ring IS irreplaceable for the sentimentality, not just for the value.

 

[Ally T]

Fingers crossed for a festive proposal! And then enjoy your ring & please come back with pictures!

 

[kmoro]

Sending engagement juju your way!