10 Things You Should Never Do While Wearing Your Engagement Ring

1. Put On Lotion:Believe it or not, excessive build-up of heavy makeup, lotion, or creams can dull the stones in your ring. Also, note that hairspray can eat away at gold and dull the surface of diamonds and other stones.

2. Swim:
Swimming in cold water, like an ocean or lake, can cause your fingers to shrink allowing the ring to slip off (you will not find a ring lost in the ocean). The chlorine in some swimming pools can also cause damage to your ring – especially if its prolonged.

3. Clean The House:
Bleach and other household cleansers can damage settings and mountings; some cleaners can even change the color of your setting or the diamond itself. So, always wear protective gloves or remove your ring altogether.

4. Do The Dishes:
Harsh chemicals and dish soaps can discolor, dissolve, or otherwise damage the stone or metal bands.

5. Operate Heavy Machinery:
If you have a job that involves manual labor, like construction work, keep your ring at home in a safe place. This will help avoid breaks, splits, cracks, and looseness that are caused by bang-ups.

6. Play tennis:
If you have a tight grip, are left-handed and have diamonds all around your band, remove your ring before playing.

7. Gardening:
Always wear reinforced gloves while gardening to avoid the hidden rocks in dirt from chipping the diamond or knocking the setting loose– or remove it all together.

8. Sleep:
Depending on the shape and size of your ring, wear it to sleep at night can be a bad idea. If you have an over-sized stone with lots of edges, remove it before going to bed and avoid scratching you or your bed partner’s face in the night.

9: Lifting Weights:
While wearing your ring is probably OK for most cardio (sorry, Kim, you’re probably being paranoid) lifting weights and using weight machines creates a risk for dings and cracks in the stone.

10. Clean The Oven:
Oven cleaner Easy Off is a notoriously harsh product (it burns skin to the touch!) and the damage on wedding rings can be catastrophic. Don’t risk it with gloves – remove your ring completely.