How to keep your engagement ring looking as it did on day one

Care & craft

How to keep your engagement ring looking as it did on day one

February 2025 · 5 min read


An engagement ring is worn every day, through everything. With a simple routine, it can look as brilliant in thirty years as it did the morning it was put on.

The most common misconception about diamond rings is that they are indestructible. Diamonds are the hardest natural material on earth — nothing in daily life will scratch one. But the metal settings that hold them are softer, and the oils, soaps, and chemicals that come into contact with a ring every single day will dull its surface and compromise its brilliance over time.

The daily enemies of brilliance

Hand cream
The primary culprit. Oils coat the underside of a diamond and significantly reduce light return — turning a brilliant stone temporarily cloudy. Clean weekly to prevent build-up.
Chlorine
Swimming pools and cleaning products contain chlorine that reacts with gold alloys, weakening the metal over time. Remove your ring before swimming.
Impact
Diamonds are hard but brittle — a sharp blow against a hard surface can chip or fracture a stone. Be mindful during exercise or manual work.

A cleaning routine that takes two minutes

Once a week — at home

1Fill a small bowl with warm water and a drop of washing-up liquid.
2Soak the ring for ten minutes.
3Use a soft baby toothbrush to gently scrub around the setting, paying particular attention to the underside of the stone where oil accumulates.
4Rinse under warm running water and pat dry with a lint-free cloth.
Done once a week, this will keep a ring looking freshly polished indefinitely. It costs nothing and takes less time than making coffee.

Professional care

We clean, polish, and inspect every ring we have ever made — for life, for free. We recommend bringing your ring in once a year. In twenty minutes we will check the prong integrity, clean the stone properly, and polish the metal. Catching a loose prong early means a minor repair rather than a lost stone.

Bring your ring in. We will make it look new.

Book an inspection →