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When do you wear your rings? (Also some advice please)

I'm recently engaged and my fiance gave me an absolutely stunning ring. He insured it but I'm still SO afraid I'm going to lose it or damage it. I also work at a preschool so I don't wear it to work (too many bodily fluids there!). I've never been a ring-wearer so it's not second-nature to me to put it on when I get home. He's always slightly offended when I'm not wearing it. I'm just so afraid I'm going to ruin this beautiful ring. I also clean a lot at home so I don't want those chemicals on it either. When do you wear your rings? What reasons do you choose not to wear it? How do I make him understand these things?
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Re: When do you wear your rings? (Also some advice please)

  • Maybe cleaning would be fine, but I still don't want to wear it at work. I get peed on, pooped on, vomited on, bled on, spit on, snot on. Pretty much every bodily fluid you can imagine has been on me at some point. Kids are gross. I don't think I'd mind so much if it was my own child, but other people's children? No way.
  • I'd sooner wear it to work than cleaning! Bleach and similar chemicals are really, really bad for gold... they alter it on a molecular level, making it brittle. If you've got platinum though, you can't hurt that. And your diamond will be fine, I promise. You're not (I hope!) putting your ring in your mouth, so just clean it with water and perhaps a little dish soap when you get kid fluids on it.

    FWIW, I work for a jeweler. I wear my rings whenever I leave the house. I actually don't wear them at home very often. H wears his everywhere except the shower.
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  • I would be more worried about the stone snagging on a kid what with your job. I have a scar on my face from my mom's engagement ring snagging on my cheek when I was young. Aside from that, I am a horse trainer and vet tech. My ring only ever comes off when I ride, and that is only because it cuts off circulation to my finger. If a ring can hold up to barn life, I think yours will hold up to preschool teacher life! :smile: 
  • If you want to have it with you at work, perhaps wear it on a chain?  

    I wasn't always a ring person, either.  It becomes habit after a while.  I forgot to put mine on the other day (one of those days where I was in a rush and overslept) and felt naked.
  • I wear mine except for shower and sleeping. If it is insured, wear it. If you want to be able to keep it clean, pop it on a chain at work and then switch back to finger at end of day. I work as a nurse and lots of my colleagues do this. 

    I get get my ring cleaned every 2-3 months and get all the claws checked at the same time. I’ve stopped worrying about it and just enjoy it. My H would be upset if I didn’t wear it. I love my rings and feel bare without them. 
  • lovesclimbinglovesclimbing member
    First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its First Answer
    edited November 2017
    All the time. I take it off occasionally, but not always, when I clean. I also take it off when I'm mixing stuff by hand such as kneading bread dough or mixing meat loaf. I take it off while rock climbing and weight lifting, but no other exercise. I specially told H I didn't want a big ring that would get in the way. Mine has channel-set diamonds. 
  • I wear mine every day, except when I'm on holidays.  I can't be bothered to put it on in the summer I guess, since I'm usually just chilling at home.  Same for my fitbit though.  I also take it off while cutting meat, putting on lotion, workouts, showering and sleeping. 

    I get mine cleaned/checked every 6 months, where they make sure the prints are in good working order.  I teach Phys-Ed, and I've never had an issue.  I did catch it once on a cloth suitcase and must have bent a prong cos the diamond would spin in the socket thing.  I took it off immediately and brought it in to be fixed.  

    Wear your ring!!  I was worried too at first, as I don't wear jewelry, but I've never really had an issue, other than the cloth bag

  • I wear mine except when sleeping, working out and mixing stuff like meat and dough. I agree wear it and enjoy it. It will eventually become a habit. Have the prongs checked regularly and have it cleaned (or clean it yourself). Bodily fluids aren't going to damage it - aren't you wearing protective gloves if you are getting hit with that many fluids anyway?
  • I was like this when I first got engaged too. Not a ring person, all of a sudden had a stunning ring that (although insured), I took off for the most minor things like cleaning the house and hiking. 

    The whole point of wedding/engagement rings is to wear them all the time. You'll get over the newness of it with time. It'll just be part of your hand and it won't seem like such a big deal to wear it. 
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  • I was super nervous too, because I usually don't wear jewelry. I take mine off to shower, work out, or if I'm doing something gross with my hands (learned this the hard way after re-caulking the bathtub).

    I like the idea of putting it on a chain at work. And I know kids can be unpredictable with body fluids, but your school should supply you with PPE if you're expected to clean them up. The only time it should get on your ring is if the kid happened to barf directly onto your hands. 
  • I was also super nervous when I first got mine, but overtime I got used to it, and it felt like a chore taking it on and off. I only take mine off when I'm working out with weights (I leave it on to run and yoga), when I'm doing a deep clean of the house, or like @lovesclimbing when I'm baking/cooking something that will get on my hands.

    You can do a chain at work, or get a silicon ring (I have one for workouts) that I slip on and off, and that should remind you to put your ring back on. 
  • I take my rings off to shower.   It's not because I fear something bad happening to them but the body wash, shampoo and conditioner over time build up and need to be cleaned off.    It's just easy enough to not wear them that one point of the day.   Otherwise they're on all day and all night.   

    I wouldn't put them on a chain if you work in a preschool.   I have a toddler and he loves to pull on any necklace I wear.   I deliberately wear only costume jewelry when I know I'm going to have a lot of time with my kids because I don't want my little guy to pull on a chain or strand of pearls and break it. 

    Wear the rings.  Keep them on and just start to get used to them.   DH used to spin his wedding ring like a top when we first got married.   He wasn't used to wearing them for daily use and he'd fidget.   It's been a decade now and I couldn't tell you the last time he took his off
  • To be fair, I was a ring person even before I got engaged.  However, I keep mine on almost all the time.  The only time I take it off is if I'm doing something where my hands might get really dirty and I won't be wearing gloves, ie mixing beef.

    I'm actually much more afraid of taking my ring off, forgetting to put it back on, and losing it.  @charlotte989875, I would never have thought of a silicone ring, what a great idea!

    I'm guessing your FI would be more understanding if it was just work you weren't wearing the ring to.  Maybe get into a habit of keeping it on, except when you are going to work?  And, at home, take it off and put it right back on again after you are done cleaning.

    It sounds like it's just a matter of getting into the habit/routine of wearing a ring.  And it just takes time to get into a new routine.

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  • I wear mine all the time except in the shower or at the gym.  I wear it to bed, to work, to volunteer etc.

    The ONLY reason that I don't wear it to the gym anymore is because I actually broke my ring while I was working out.  My ring is insured and they shipped it off and I got a brand new one 6 weeks later (same stones - new ring).  

    The insurance is there for a reason.  Wear it and enjoy it.

  • My mum barely wears her engagement ring - not because she doesn't love it, but because it isn't small.

    She'll wear her engagement ring when she opts to wear other rings - dinner, event, etc.

    I wear my engagement ring all the time except for when it's to be getting wet or could get lost {beach, pool, sleep, shower, etc} and often I don't wear either at home.

    It's more personal preference tbh
  • You don't have to wear it if it isn't comfortable for you or you don't want to, for any reason!
    Where I work right now, you can't wear rings, for a very very good reason, and people either wear their rings on a necklace or they don't bother with them at all. I don't think I'd bother with a necklace.

    It's just jewelry. You're not obligated to wear it every day forever because your partner bought it for you. Your comfort comes first.
  • I wear my e-ring and wedding band out most of the time - though sometimes I'll run to the grocery store or something and forget. It's actually cold enough that they're getting loose outside, so I'm thinking of just putting them on a chain to wear as a necklace when I don't want them on my hand. (One of my good friends has been wearing her wedding band as a necklace for about 5 years now.) 

    H wears his every day, but won't wear it to sleep or in the shower. 
  • This is just a personal preference, but I ended up not getting mine soldered so that I could leave the engagement ring at home when traveling or whatever and still wear my wedding band. Maybe something to consider if you plan to avoid wearing your engagement ring to work.
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  • Thanks for all the suggestions!

    Oh btw, I was mostly exaggerating. Of course, we have gloves at work. But I only wear them when I'm helping with toileting/changing diapers or doing some first-aid. But I just don't want to wash my ring everyday from kid germs. They grab my hands after they've used their hands as a tissue, one kid actually ran out of the bathroom to show me the toilet paper he used because he wanted to show me how well he did wiping. We're also always painting, doing playdoh, hot gluing...I love them all, but it's a messy job.
  • Well, you wouldn't just wash your ring everyday from kid germs.   I wash my hands with my rings on after I use the bathroom for my own germs.   I also have two germ makers in my house.  I wash my hands with the rings on.    

    As far as the activities that you do, how often are you doing something where the activity can get stuck in  the ring?   I rarely kneed dough or get my hand immersed in something dirty but if I did I'd take it off just to avoid what got stuck in it.   

    This could be a reason to think about a more simple wedding band.   You can't get modeling clay stuck in a simple band. 
  • I often forget to put mine back on after doing the dishes. I have a little dish they sit it when I take them off. DH knows it isn’t personal. I have a dedicated spot in my purse if I have to take them off while I am not at home, i.e the barn. I notice I am not wearing them more when I am driving than any other time. Do you have lockers where you work? I really wouldn’t be too fussed with just taking my rings off while I was at work and sticking them in my bag if there was a safe place to keep it while there.  
  • I definitely had the "afraid to lose/damage it" thing at first. Working at a preschool I do understand, although I'm thinking more from scratching. My son is almost 1 and I've scratched him a few times and I usually just take it off when I'm home with him just to be safe. I also take it off for dishes and working out (unless I work out straight from work and then I just wear it). I also don't put it on during the weekends if we're just hanging around the house. 
  • edited November 2017
    I'm sure you sanitize your hands, and ring, more often than most people if you're wiping butts and dealing with lots of pre-schoolers. It's insured, your fi wants you to enjoy his gift. Please wear it, check the setting often to make sure nothing's loose and bring it to the jeweler to have it cleaned and the setting checked on your anniversary or whatever the insurance plan requires. 

    Think of how dirty your cell phone is, yet you probably use it every day.

    I take my rings off to shower and swim. Also, I bought a fake diamond wedding band for traveling. 
                       
  • Wear it if you want to, knowing that it's insured if something happens. But I totally get the concern about germs. I'm on a surgical rotation right now and you could absolutely not wear jewelry on your hands there. It is your call. If you decide not to wear it to work (or anywhere else), that's your decision.
    You get to decide what you put on your body. Your fiance(e) gets to deal with it.
  • I disagree with the "it's insured, wear it," argument. I once accidentally whacked my hand against the steel door jam at work at such an angle that I broke a prong and dislodged the stone. It was hanging on by two prongs instead of four. If I'd lost the stone (sapphire), insurance wasn't getting that stone back, which would have upset me. Insured or not, I'm not going to be cavalier about a piece of fine jewelry especially when I'm a born klutz. So, I get you. 

    But, you're more worried about germs and whatnot. If I were you, I'd be worried about scratching a child, if your setting sticks out from your hand quite a bit like mine does. Putting a ring on a necklace only works when you don't have toddlers and babies who like to grab stuff.

    If you think wearing your engagement ring at work is a hazard, don't wear it. Tell your fiance why and assure him you adore the ring, you want to protect it, and it's purely a small-children-thing why you aren't comfortable wearing it. Wear it at home, wear it out and about, etc. If you don't want to wear it while cleaning, don't. Depending on the metal, it may be better you don't, lest you have to spend more time on the upkeep. I've seen some women's rings get really dingy looking if they don't get them professionally cleaned. 

    FWIW I wear my engagement ring to work and when I'm out and about, but I take all my jewelry, including engagement and wedding ring, off at home. DH also takes his wedding ring off at home. They go in a ring dish by the bed. I had a baby a few months ago and stopped wearing both rings completely for awhile there, and just put my plain wedding band on when I was going out. I do worry about scratching my baby (so far so good though haha).

    As far as loosing it, all you can do is ensure it's properly sized, and have a designated place to keep it if you are going to be leaving it off at times. A quality ring will stand up just fine to regular hand-washing and sanitizer too, so don't worry about that part. 


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  • Side note: my husband's ring is tungston. Yep. Popular style, but also dangerous style.
    His job is fine, so he can wear it to work but anything he does that could be dangerous, that ring comes off.

    It's the kind of ring that if something happens, you can't cut the ring you have to take the finger.

    I agree with @thisismynickname2 with the disagreeing on "just because it's insured, wear it"
    If you're going to wear it, but aware of what you're doing.
  • So I literally just got engaged on Sunday but I had worn a promise ring for the last 7 years or so so that when the time came I'd be used to having a ring on my finger. The only time the ring was ever off my ring was when I went to bed, showering, washing my hands and going to pole dance classes. Even now with a brand new ring, those are still the only times it's off of me. I think it's personal preference to how and when you wear your ring.
    Formerly known as bubbles053009





  • Congrats on your engagement, @lightningsnow!
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