How to Wear an Engagement Ring if You’re a Hands-On Bride

Active brides, we know how you feel. As much as you may love engagement rings (and the person who’s giving you one), your ‘get up and go’ lifestyle isn’t really conducive to wearing one all the time. Maybe you like to hit the gym a lot, maybe your job involves lots of literal hands-on activity – hi there nurses and chefs – or maybe you end up taking it off and putting it back on a million times a day and it’s more inconvenient than you would like. Either way, here are some suggestions that should make life easier.

Choose a Bezel Setting

You don’t want your beautiful gemstone to hit off objects, snag on clothes or scratch your skin as you go about your business; you could and probably will end up losing the stone or tearing holes/chunks out of delicate materials. The solution? A bezel setting! Instead of the traditional prongs holding the stone in place at the corners, a bezel setting completely surrounds the perimeter of your stone, keeping it firmly in place and protecting the edges. It’s practical in design and contemporary in style.

… Or a Channel/Flush Setting

If you’d rather eliminate all danger completely, a channel or flush setting is also a good option. With a channel setting, your stones sit into a ‘channel’ carved into the metal of your band and then pinched slightly over the edges of the stones (this setting generally has a number of stones placed side by side), making it impossible for them to ever fall out and keeping the surface of your ring flat. Flush settings go one step further and only expose the crown of your stone, so it’s almost completely embedded into the metal.  

Say Yes to Diamonds

If you’re especially active, then you should really only consider diamonds, rubies or sapphires for your engagement ring. Diamonds are the hardest substance on earth – the only thing that can scratch or chip a diamond is another diamond – so they’re basically indestructible. Rubies and sapphires while not entirely invincible are also extremely tough, so if you have a liking for coloured stones, go with one of these two. Anything else (even emeralds) runs the risk of picking up scratches over time.

Get a Ring Cozy

There’s a super handy little thing called a Ring Cozy that every bride should have if you need to regularly protect your engagement ring when you’re out and about. It’s a brightly coloured and very comfortable foam band that you simply slip onto your finger and over your ring – ideal for the gym or for tasks that involve delicate use of your hands. It’s made from the same material as scuba dive suits, so it’s waterproof too!

Keep it Rounded

Stones with rounded edges are best if you want to prevent scrapes and scratches. Avoid princess, marquise or pear cuts and choose round brilliant, cushion or oval cuts instead. With curves instead of corners they offer up natural protection, and when combined with a bezel setting it’s more or less impossible to cause damage with them.

Opt for Platinum (maybe)

Platinum is the most durable metal out there when it comes to jewellery – no matter what you put it through, it won’t tarnish or scratch. Ever. There is a downside however; if you’re ever unfortunate enough to injure your left hand, that ring will have to be cut off and may even cause further damage if you fingers swell up and you can’t remove it immediately. But don’t worry, that’s unlikely to happen. Other metals such as gold or silver will dull and get scratched up with wear and tear, while white gold will need to be replated every few years.