An engagement ring, like your love connection, is unique. It’s a piece of jewellery you’re going to wear all the time, and it’s usually a significant investment, so you want to be sure it’s constructed to last. If you live a busy lifestyle, look for a ring that blends your own style, practical considerations, and durability requirements. We’ll look at the six best ways to shop for engagement rings for active lives in this post.
#1: Think about your lifestyle and activities.
Spend some time reflecting on how you spend your days. Do you spend the most of your weekends marathon training? Are you completely dedicated to your recreational football team? Perhaps you prefer beach volleyball games to happy hours (or perhaps happy hour is your next visit – the two aren’t mutually incompatible). Whatever you enjoy doing, pay attention to the details while looking for an engagement ring. You might not want to buy a high-carat natural diamond if you know it would be readily grabbed while playing tennis, for example. Consider your lifestyle and the jewellery you wear on a daily basis to help you narrow down your search for an engagement ring.
#2: Select materials that are long-lasting and low-maintenance.
Do some study on artificial jewellery sets materials before you start looking. Many popular engagement ring options combine precious metals (such as gold, silver, or platinum) with diamonds or other valuable gemstones. These are not only attractive and exquisite materials, but they are also quite robust, making for a solid engagement ring that can resist little wear and tear. Gold-plated metals or rings made of brass or copper are more prone to tarnish and last less time, especially if you use your hands often.
You should also assess whether these materials are appropriate for your busy lifestyle. Exposure to water, for example, accelerates the tarnishing process, so if you’re a swimmer who spends most of your time in the pool or ocean, you might not want to commit to wearing a metal ring. A waterproof e-coating can help prevent tarnish, but a silicon ring totally eliminates it. There are several alternatives to standard engagement ring materials available, so don’t be afraid to go outside the box.
#3: Locate Your Gemstone (Or Don’t!)
Colour, opacity, and brilliance are all characteristics of gemstones. When looking for engagement rings for busy lives, one of the most crucial elements to consider is gemstone hardness, or scratch resistance. The Mohs Hardness Scale is the industry standard in this area, and it rates gemstones from 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest). Diamonds are extremely durable and have the highest Mohs hardness rating of any gemstone, with a Mohs rating of 10. Sapphires have a Mohs hardness rating of 9 after diamonds. On the scale, an opal rates between 5.5 and 6.5, whereas a pearl ranks between 2.5 and 4.5. While more delicate stones might be beautiful, they are usually not a good choice for everyday use with an active lifestyle because they are much more easily scratched and damaged than tougher gemstones.
While most traditional engagement rings include some jewels, you don’t have to follow the crowd. If you’ve evaluated your lifestyle and believe that you won’t end up wearing a gemstone ring because it would interfere with your favourite pastimes, then perhaps a gemstone ring isn’t suited for you. Consider a basic ring with lovely engraved motifs, or a colourful e-coated band that complements your style. You have plenty of alternatives, so don’t feel obligated to follow the crowd.
#4: Choose a Safe and Practical Location
If you do decide to go with a gemstone, the setting of the ring is critical to its security. The setting secures your gemstone; the most common varieties are prong, bezel, channel, and tension settings. A bezel setting, in which the gemstone is nestled into the band, is an excellent choice since the embedded gemstone limits exposure – the drawback is that the stone is less apparent, but the positive is that it has far less chance of being scratched, misplaced, or caught on something.
A prong setting (in which small metal claws grab the gemstone) or tension setting (in which a gemstone is fastened between two pieces of metal pushing together) exposes much of the gemstone, which might lead to mishaps if you use your hands frequently.
#5: Put comfort and fit first.
First and foremost, make sure your ring is the correct size for your finger. A huge ring, especially with an active lifestyle, runs the risk of slipping off and getting misplaced, but a little ring can be harmful if snagged the wrong way, resulting in ring avulsion. Finding the proper size might help you avoid any mishaps. You should also be able to try on different rings to check whether they feel comfortable on your finger. Check your flexibility and mobility by simulating motions you make when doing your favourite hobbies, such as hanging onto your bike handles. You want to ensure that your ring will not pinch your finger, cause discomfort, or limit your range of motion in any way.
#6.Make it Your Own
Take advantage of the possibility to personalise your ring with personalised elements. Consider etching a special message on the band or welding your engagement ring to your wedding band. You may also be inventive and decide that another piece of necklace jewellery would be a better fit for your lifestyle instead of a ring. If you know you’ll prefer a pendant over a ring, there’s no reason you can’t purchase an engagement necklace instead. (Actually, there are no rules. Do you!)
Finally, your engagement ring is a sign of your unique connection and love, and as such, it should be tailored to you and your lifestyle. If you’ve done all of your research and followed all of the advice and you still can’t locate the perfect ring for you, take matters into your own hands. Quick Jewellery Repairs’ professional jeweller teams can help you design your own bespoke ring. Our experts will guide you through the whole process and assist you with selecting the best materials, settings, and fit for you and your lifestyle.