Do you wear your ring while travelling?

NowIamMrsKlein

Good Morning! I'm fairly fresh to the whole 'being engaged' business and was having a discussion last night with the FI about proper care of the ring. He's fairly particular about babying it, asking me to not wear it at night and in the shower etc. (I agree with him for the most part, however I think its mainly because its so new we are a little more paranoid about losing the stone/ring). My question is in regards to how much do you really need to be careful about your ring in day to day activities. My FI and I are into camping and hiking etc, and he's under the impression I should probably leave the ring at home on those kinds of adventures. I would feel awful about treating it poorly, but I also dont want to not wear my ring! Do you wear your ring 24/7? Do you leave it at home when travelling? Do you have a 'fake' ring for certain activities as to preserve the real one? Thanks everyone! EDIT: Sorry about the paragraphs

flyingfoxes

I wear mine all the time.  I've scratched the heck out of the bottom of the band, but I figure this thing's gotta be tough enough to last the rest of my life, so I doubt they make them all that delicately.  FI bought the insurance on it though, so I think if I lose any stones I'll be okay.  He side-eyed me a little when I said I wear it to the gym, even when lifting weights, but so far so good. 

manateehugger

We insured our rings and therefore don't worry overmuch about it. Unless it's an old family heirloom that has more sentimental than monetary value, I think the idea of hiding a ring or wearing a "fake" ring is silly. Granted, FI and I do hike and camp a lot. I usually don't wear it for more rigorous stuff (and I've got a special pocket in my pack for it if I happen to bring it along). I'm looking forward to being able to wear just the band (my engagement ring is a cathedral setting and snags on stuff) when doing outdoorsy stuff.

theartistformerlyknownas

I also don't wear my ring in the shower, partially because it's bad for the stone and partially because I'm worried about it getting stuck in my hair. I also take it off if I'm doing anything super messy or with caustic chemicals. I've worn it traveling to the next state, I'm still on the fence about taking it to Spain for our honeymoon... more because I'm worried about it being stolen by a pickpocket than anything. I'm leaning toward wearing a fake stand-in. That would be the only time I'd sub it out though.

Maggie0829

I wore my ring every day of our HM (we snorkled and swam in the ocean/pool). because they were shiny and new and I wanted to show them off. But on a daily basis I wear them to work and then I take them off when I get home. Not because I am concerned about hurting them but because my fingers tend to swell and it feels nice to take them off. As for travelling, unless I am going on a hiking trip where I am trekking through the forest and having to climb things then I wear them/take them. And no, I don't have a fake ring. I don't see the point. I know that I am married so I really don't see the reason to have to wear a fake ring. There are many brides/wives that wear their rings all day, every day. Others take them off if they are doing something that will get their hands dirty, etc. But it really comes down to what is most comfortable for you. Just make sure to insure your ring and I say where it whenever and wherever you want. You were given the ring to actually wear and enjoy, not to put in a safe place so that it doesn't get hurt.

buddysmom80

I was super paranoid until we insured it. To be honest, I had every intent on NOT wearing it in Europe because of pickpocketers. I was so used to wearing it, that I didn't realize that I had it on until we were at 30,000 feet. Too late then!

@lolo883 why is it bad to wear it in the shower (other than getting it tangled?). I wear mine is the shower and haven't had a problem (yet) but now I'm nervous!

JaxInBlue

I wear my ring most of the day but I take it off to shower, to cook, and to exercise.  I wore it while we vacationed in FL, but I bought a fake ring (and left my e-ring at home) when I visited Uganda this summer for work.  This was what was advised when I was preparing to travel, and I'm risk adverse so I figured the cheap ring would be worth the peace of mind.

JennyColada

PDKH said:

We insured our rings and therefore don't worry overmuch about it. Unless it's an old family heirloom that has more sentimental than monetary value, I think the idea of hiding a ring or wearing a "fake" ring is silly.

Same here!

The stone of my ring is set up pretty high as well, and the idea of having it on when I was my hands or do dishes just seems odd (I even take off my cheap $5 rings when I do this stuff too).

When I first got my ring, I was a little paranoid about bending it (because, you know, I'm so strong that I can bend platinum with my bare hands or something) and I did have nightmares about the stone falling out. But that being said: I still wore it every day during all of my regular activities.

NowIamMrsKlein

I think my main concern about the hiking/camping is that my fingers tend to swell a lot. Ring fits perfectly on a normal day, a little loose in the mornings (hence not wearing it in the shower with it being loose and slippery with soap), but in heat and exercise my fingers are little sausages. So I think my concern was wanting to take it off while in the middle of an adventure and the paranoia that may cause with keeping it safe.

AprilH81

I have a diamond stone, so I'm not worried about damage (plus it is insured).  I wear my ring 99% of the time.

If my fingers aren't swollen I will take them off when snorkeling...  If I'm doing something super duper messy (pizza dough) or dealing with harsh chemicals I will also take it off.

But I sleep with them on, shower with them on, clean with them on...  No harm has come to them so far.  

KPBM89

The only time my ring comes off is when I'm washing dishes, cooking meat for FI, applying lotion/ sunscreen, or using etching cream to do glass etching.  Other than that, it stays on.  We have a pool and I wear it there, I wear it in the shower, to sleep, and everywhere else.  It's insured as long as I get it inspected every 6 months.

NowIamMrsKlein

Mine is insured through the store (as long as I get it inspected once a year) as well as through my homeowners insurance. So i'm covered there:)

I think that once I get a little more used to having the ring on my finger (it's only been 2 months) I will be less paranoid of something happening to it. I've never worn jewelry before this so I wasn't really sure what was normal wear. Thanks!

edit: spelling

Maggie0829

For those not wanting to wear their rings in Europe because of pickpocketers...you do realize that there are pickpocketers here in the states to.  You can easily be robbed right outside your door as you can in Europe or any other country/continent.

Cookie Pusher

My e-ring is insured. We've chosen sterling silver for our bands so that we can wear them around without much worry. They are shiny but inexpensive enough that it wouldn't be a burden to replace them.

FI works in a high current electrical testing facility and is a sports official in the evenings/weekends, so he will have to remove his ring constantly. I've told him he doesn't need to wear one, but he is insistent. I know us both well enough to guarantee we would both flip out if he lost an expensive ring!

I love my e-ring, but it has a very high setting and gets caught on everything, so I will likely only wear if for special occasions after we're married. For now, though, I wear it all the time except for sleeping, showering, and working with abrasives/chemicals.

emmaaa

I never take my ring off other than to clean it. I cook, clean, and do yard work in it. There haven't been any problems with my ring. However, the jeweler who made my ring knew that I am rough on my hands since I had broken the promise ring FI had given me so he made this one super durable.

lyndausvi

I wear my ring all the time. The only time I take it off is to make meatballs or cooking something else similar that I need to use my hands.  Other than that I wear it to the beach, pool, while cleaning, etc.    I even worked on a sail boat for years with it on.   Although I should be said that I designed my ring with a low profile so it doesn't catch on things.

I do not get the whole fake ring thing.   Either wear the ring or don't.

KeptInStitches

I have a moissanite ring that I wear at home during evenings and weekends. I have a flat gold band I picked up at a pawn shop to wear at work. I work with really harsh chemicals, my ring wouldn't be good in gloves, and I know what's been at my desk. Better to play it safe for me.

cupcait927

I wear mine all the time except for showering, cooking and washing dishes. Otherwise, it's always on my hand. I have lost one of the stones on the band already but FI purchased the warranty through the store so I got it replaced for free.

NowIamMrsKlein

FI brought up the idea of the 'fake' ring. But not so much in the sense of a replica zirconia or something. More along the lines of a practical wedding band to wear in situations where one might be concerned about the engagement ring having a higher profile setting.

Obviously after we are married i would just wear my wedding band if i was ever concerned, but as we are having a longer engagement and have a lot of outdoorsy adventures planned in the mean time, he thought perhaps a cheaper plain band might be a compromise. (I still get to wear my ring, but theres no 'its going to get caught in the brush or something).

Im not sure how I feel about that. He gave me this ring! I want to wear this ring! hahaha. But I do get the concern. Nice to know that most people wear them all the time with no trouble. that gives me a bit of a better idea of the 'strength' of jewelry.

winelover123

My stone isn't diamond (garnet), so while it is hard, it doesn't take a beating as well as a diamond. I don't wear it when I sleep or shower because I don't want it getting caught in my hair. If I'm doing something like gardening or washing dishes, I take it off. I wear it most places, though I left it at my parents' during our honeymoon and just wore my band (which has diamonds in it and can take a beating) because we did a lot of swimming in the ocean and hiking. If I'm going hiking or doing something outdoorsy, I wear my band and leave the e-ring at home. 

climbingsingle

My ring is a large opal surrounded by diamonds. Opals are very soft stones, so I have to be extremely careful with it. I don't wear it in the shower, while cleaning or when I'm sleeping. I don't wear it while we're hiking or skiing or sailing. 

ScoutF

I wear my rings all the time. Our jeweler said I need to soak it every night, but I need more cleaning solution. When I get more, I'll take it off when I'm getting ready for bed and put them on again after I'm cleaned up the next morning. He also said to absolutely never wear it to the beach. I'll probably get a fake to wear on the boat/beach this summer.

jdluvr06

I wear my ring most of the time. I take it off when I shower or if I'm doing house work. Sometimes I take it off at work if I'm doing lab work, depends on what I'm doing. Also I never travel with it. I tend to lose something whenever I go on vacation so the ring stays home.

theartistformerlyknownas

buddysmom80 said:

I was super paranoid until we insured it. To be honest, I had every intent on NOT wearing it in Europe because of pickpocketers. I was so used to wearing it, that I didn't realize that I had it on until we were at 30,000 feet. Too late then!

@lolo883 why is it bad to wear it in the shower (other than getting it tangled?). I wear mine is the shower and haven't had a problem (yet) but now I'm nervous!

I had heard somewhere that all the soap and whatnot isn't good for it. Could be wrong. Definitely gets mucky-looking faster when conditioner gums up under the setting, and it could definitely fall down the drain.

Maggie0829 said:

For those not wanting to wear their rings in Europe because of pickpocketers...you do realize that there are pickpocketers here in the states to.  You can easily be robbed right outside your door as you can in Europe or any other country/continent.

Technically, yes,but statistically not so much. It's a matter of congestion - there simply aren't enough people around where I live for anyone to get close enough to me to pickpocket without me noticing and stopping them. So while they could try, it's not a big issue here. On the Metro in Madrid, however, it's a huge problem.

lyndausvi said:

I do not get the whole fake ring thing.   Either wear the ring or don't.

For me, it's purely for my mental peace of mind. I've gotten so used to wearing my ring, that I feel naked without it. I don't want to have the mini-panic every three minutes thinking "OH GOD where's my ring?! Oh, right, left it at home." I already do that at home if I take it off to clean. Ain't nobody got time for that worry on vacation.

phira

Honestly, I think you should go with what makes sense to you and what's comfortable to you. While engagement rings aren't exactly like regular gifts (e.g. if you broke the engagement, in some states you'd be legally obligated to return it), it's YOUR ring now. You get to decide when you wear it and when you take it off.

I wear mine almost all the time. I take it off when I'm getting my hands really wet or messy, like washing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, etc. I haven't worn mine on vacation yet, but I plan to. I wear mine at work and I wear it to bed as well. We had my ring designed to have a low-profile bezel setting to minimize the risk of my stone coming lose, and to prevent my ring from coming off when I take off gloves at work (I work in a lab).

I admit, my ring isn't as pretty and pristine as it was when we bought it. However, my partner and I are fine with that. It's meant to be worn everyday, so scratches come with that.

buddysmom80

lolo883 said:

buddysmom80 said:

I was super paranoid until we insured it. To be honest, I had every intent on NOT wearing it in Europe because of pickpocketers. I was so used to wearing it, that I didn't realize that I had it on until we were at 30,000 feet. Too late then!

@lolo883 why is it bad to wear it in the shower (other than getting it tangled?). I wear mine is the shower and haven't had a problem (yet) but now I'm nervous!

I had heard somewhere that all the soap and whatnot isn't good for it. Could be wrong. Definitely gets mucky-looking faster when conditioner gums up under the setting, and it could definitely fall down the drain.

Maggie0829 said:

For those not wanting to wear their rings in Europe because of pickpocketers...you do realize that there are pickpocketers here in the states to.  You can easily be robbed right outside your door as you can in Europe or any other country/continent.

Technically, yes,but statistically not so much. It's a matter of congestion - there simply aren't enough people around where I live for anyone to get close enough to me to pickpocket without me noticing and stopping them. So while they could try, it's not a big issue here. On the Metro in Madrid, however, it's a huge problem.

lyndausvi said:

I do not get the whole fake ring thing.   Either wear the ring or don't.

For me, it's purely for my mental peace of mind. I've gotten so used to wearing my ring, that I feel naked without it. I don't want to have the mini-panic every three minutes thinking "OH GOD where's my ring?! Oh, right, left it at home." I already do that at home if I take it off to clean. Ain't nobody got time for that worry on vacation.

Ah, good to know, I think I'm going to do what a PP mentioned and put my ring in the cleaner while taking a shower.

I don't wear it when I clean the house either. I use pretty heavy-duty cleaning stuff (I have white cabinets in my kitchen, who's bright idea was that????). Also when we open the pool in a couple of weeks I won't wear it either.

In regards to the whole pickpocket thing, I work in a high-crime area in my state and I know the risk of getting mugged, murdered, whatever is high. But, if it did happen to me, I would know where to go and how to report it. My French is horrible and my Italian is non-existent and it is sometimes better to be safe than sorry. We already looked like tourists as it was, I didn't want to draw any more attention. In the end, obviously nothing happened.

JCbride2015

My ring is diamonds, and the metal is platinum, so it's pretty tough.  And it's insured.  I wear mine all the time, including hiking and other adventure-type things.  I sleep with it on, too.  I take it off to shower (usually).  I'll take it off if I'm working with raw chicken or sometimes when using sticky hair products.

I wear my ring on the NYC subway every day, around sketchy parts of the city, etc.  I've gotten compliments from old ladies on the train, but never had somebody try to steal it.  What are they gonna do, pull it off my finger without me noticing?  Unlikely.  I was nervous about it for the first few weeks until I got used to it, though.  I'd never had such a valuable piece of jewelry and it seemed really flashy to just wear it around like it ain't no thang.

The only time I ever wore a different ring was when my center stone became loose and I was waiting to get it fixed.  I wore a birthstone ring, mostly because I was just so used to the sensation of having a ring on and I kept freaking out that I had lost the ring if I couldn't feel something was on my finger.

ScoutF

@buddysmom80 My jeweler gives his clients Connoisseur and will replace it for free whenever I bring it to him (usually every three to six months depending on how gunky and dirty it gets). You can get it at Target for about five bucks. There are different types so you can get one that works for your type of metal and stone.

ETA: And he said to soak mine all night long, every night.

buddysmom80

Thanks @scoutf! I have some cleaner that came from the jeweler's but once it runs out, I'll try that.

littledog25

 I'm basically repeating PPs, but I'm gonna chime in anyway...

 I have a diamond e-ring, and I take it off to shower, do messy work in the kitchen, garden, and also for work (I work with industrial grade fertilizer and chemicals, and do a lot of manual labor at work).

 So I take it off a lot. Which kinda sucks, because I still like to look down and ogle it on a regular basis.

mschristie123

I hardly ever take my ring off. I took it off once while tubing last summer, and that was only because it was loose (got it sized down). I might take it off during some points of our beach HM, but I doubt it. I love it too much!