What should I not do with my engagement ring?

Five physical activities account for most engagement ring damage. The gym is at the top: barbells, kettlebells and machine grips all bend prongs and scratch the band. Gardening packs soil into the gallery and grinds dirt into pave. Rock climbing, hammering and any tool work that grips a handle tightly transfer load directly into the prongs. Contact sports add direct impact to the centre stone. Sleeping in a high-set ring drags the prongs against fabric and gradually loosens stones, particularly in pave and halo settings. None of these will destroy a well-made ring in a single session, but the cumulative wear brings a ring back to the bench for re-tipping every five to seven years instead of every fifteen.

The bigger lifetime risks are chemical. Chlorine in swimming pools and hot tubs attacks the alloy metals in gold, weakening prongs and dulling white gold rhodium plating within months of regular swims. Bleach and ammonia in cleaning products do the same job faster. Salt water in the ocean does less damage but still corrodes silver alloys over time. Apply hand cream, sunscreen, perfume and hair products before putting the ring on, not after, so the products land on skin instead of metal. Store the ring in its own soft pouch when not worn, since harder stones in a shared jewellery box scratch softer metal and even diamonds can chip each other when stacked loose.