He popped the question and you now can’t stop looking at the beautiful new sparkle on your left hand. But what happens when that shine just isn’t as brilliant as it once was? Today Bayside Bride has teamed up with Zachary’s Jewelry expert Keith Villones in an effort to give you the best advice about the care and cleaning of your precious jewel.

When should a bride-to-be take off her engagement ring?
Avoid wearing rings when doing yard work or working out at the gym, especially if you’re using weights. Heavy items and other metals can bend the shank or damage the prongs. White gold is especially susceptible to chemicals found in pools so remember to take it off when you go swimming too!

How should a bride clean her engagement ring at home?
There are plenty of woefully misguided home cleaning tricks, a safer option that will do the job wonderfully is warm water mixed with Windex or ammonia. Swirl a toothbrush in it and give your ring a few scrubs.

How often should you get your ring professionally cleaned?
Zachary’s recommends a cleaning every 6 months. Most family owned jewelers offer complimentary cleanings and prong checks.

What happens if your ring is too large or small or happens to change over time?
Sizing rings is a common repair, after all there’s nothing worse than having a ring that cuts into your circulation of worse yet, is too loose and falls off! Most sizings can be done within a week and typically runs $60-$120 depending on the type of metal.

We’ve heard prongs are sensitive, how can you make sure they are secure?
One test is to simply take off your ring and hold it between your thumb and middle finger up to your ear. Tap the ring with your index finger and if you hear rattling then you most likely have a loose stone. This happens when the prongs get knocked out of alignment- something that happens during everyday wear. You should always see the prongs cover the edge of the diamond with equal spacing between each.

Keith at Zachary’s Jewelry in Annapolis were so helpful in finding the answers to these must-knows. Make sure to stop in at their local store right in the heart of downtown! If you can’t make it to the store, check out their website, where you can talk with Keith!

- – - – - -
*Photographs by Heather Z Photography from our Favorite Engagement Rings post!