If you have a sparkly engagement ring on your finger, you probably don’t want to take it off. Which is why, even seven years post-proposal, I knead bread and lotion my kids after bath time while wearing my engagement ring. Both bread dough and baby lotion* can dull a diamond’s shine, but the residue from either is easy enough to soak off. (Here's how Drew Barrymore and I clean our engagement rings.) But here are two times even I—the last person to take off her engagement ring—will go bare-fingered.
Side note: How fantastic is this engagement ring? The Tulip Ring with a Cushion Diamond in Rose Gold from Kwiat, price upon request.
1) Swimming, Especially In Cold Water. As any bath aficionado will tell you, a good soak will leave your skin shriveled—and a ring in danger of slipping off. Cold water, which can further shrink your skin, makes a swim extra-perilous.
2) Deep-Cleaning Your Home. My ring stays on when I’m spraying down the kitchen counters at night, but before any projects that involve harsh chemicals (wiping down the windows with ammonia, de-crusting the oven with oven-cleaner) I deposit my ring in my jewelry box. Chemicals are bad for both stones and metal, and can permanently damage both.
*The ingredients in baby lotion probably won’t hurt your ring—especially if you use an ultra-gentle kind, like I do. But if you’re slathering something more harsh on yourself (say, something with “acid” on the ingredients list) it’s probably best to take off your ring then, too.
Are you reluctant to take off your engagement ring? Or do you cast it aside as soon as you get home at night?