Wedding rings are more than just a piece of jewelery for a married couple. The two rings should remind her of her marriage vows for the rest of her life. So that this memory still looks beautiful in 50 years, wedding rings need appropriate care – this also applies to imperishable materials such as gold, diamonds and precious stones. Wearing them every day, which is the order of the day for wedding rings, causes signs of wear and tear: gold, for example, loses its matted or polished surface over time, precious stones appear dull and lackluster. If you take care of your wedding rings, you will enjoy them for a long time.
The care of the wedding ring begins with the right handling in everyday life
Of course, there are numerous care tips that will keep wedding rings looking new for years. However, care begins with wearing the rings themselves:
1.As previously mentioned, wedding rings are subjected to a lot of stress every day. It is therefore advisable to remove the ring regularly, especially when doing gardening or housework. Contact with chemicals or rough surfaces can easily damage the ring.
2.Handling hairspray, perfumes or creams should also be avoided, as these products also contain various chemicals that can attack the sensitive ring surface.
3.Swimming with your wedding ring is not only dangerous because you could lose it in the water. The chlorine used in swimming pools can also change the color of the ring.
4.At home, you should remove the ring when showering or washing your hands. Soap deposits not only lead to contamination, they also contain chemicals that reduce the shine of the wedding ring.
Apart from these four behavior tips, it is also advisable to keep wedding rings in a jewelry box when they are not being worn. There the rings are well protected from dust, dirt and damage. But be careful: store the rings in such a way that they do not come into contact with other pieces of jewelry.
Gentle care for light soiling
Small soiling cannot be ruled out even with the most careful handling. However, these can easily be removed by the wearer with household remedies: An old toothbrush with slightly worn and soft toothbrushes in combination with soap without chemicals removes the first dirt and helps the ring to shine again. After cleaning, the ring should be left thoroughly washed with water so that no soap residue remains. This cleaning method is suitable for all rings except models with a polished surface – this would of course cause scratches. Sharp cleaning agents, rough or pointed objects and coarse sponges are also taboo.
Polish tarnished rings
Wedding rings can become tarnished and dull over time. Gold rings can be easily cleaned and polished with a special cloth so that they shine like new again. Although polishing does not achieve the same shine that the ring had when you bought it, there is still a clear improvement – and the costs are reasonable. The special cloths are available from retailers or jewelers and are suitable for all materials: from rings made of gold to platinum to palladium.
When all else fails: professional cleaning at a jeweler’s
Apart from small mishaps and the occasional carelessness, very few rings survive the many years on their wearer’s finger without getting scratched. In this case, a professional cleaning at the jeweler is required. But a visit to the jeweler is not only recommended for problems with the ring, professionals should clean wedding rings regularly so that the wearer can enjoy them for a longer period of time. A jeweler naturally has more professional means of caring for rings in his workshop. He can not only remove small scratches, but also larger damage. Regular care is particularly recommended for rings made of white gold, since the rhodium plating on these models suffers and wears out over the years. Only a professional can restore them. After a professional cleaning or restoration, the wedding rings look like the first day.