There?s a lot that goes into buying a great diamond. You need to make sure that you love it, and since no two diamonds are ever alike, it could take you a while to find one that is simply perfect. After purchasing diamond jewelry, many people think that their job is done. However, no matter how well-crafted the ring is, you still need to make sure you periodically check it to ensure that it stays in great condition. Unfortunately, we hear plenty of horror stories about diamonds that fall out of diamond rings. The story usually goes something like this: I absolutely love my diamond ring. In fact, I?ve barely taken it off my finger for the past 15 years! I am not sure what happened, but I recently looked and the diamond was no longer there. For at least a few months, I?ve noticed that the ring has been scratching the sides of my finger, but I didn?t think anything of it. I tore the house apart looking for it, and I thankfully managed to find it. How could I have prevented this? There are actually plenty of ways you can prevent a disaster like this. Here are some of our best tips:

Always Be Aware of Your Ring

Even if you?re in the habit of wearing your ring 24/7, it helps to get into the habit of always being aware of the condition it?s in too. Simply looking to make sure the diamond is there at several points during the day can help reduce any heartache that a lost diamond can cause. If you notice that it?s gone, you can immediately retrace your steps. If you remember the last time your diamond was intact, it will be much easier to track it down.

Make Sure You Have Insurance

If your ring isn?t currently insured, you should get it insured as soon as possible. Make sure the ring is covered for situations such as these! While no amount of insurance can ever replace the sentimental value of the diamond, having insurance is still a good idea. Once you get the policy, you?ll also want to make sure that it?s always up to date.

Be Careful of Wear and Tear

Another thing you can do is to be mindful of the normal wear and tear of your ring. As you wear your ring, a tiny amount of metal wears away as it gets hit. Over time the prongs flatten, and then they start to catch on things like fabrics and even your own hair. This goes on for a while until one day, you hit your hand and the diamond falls out. I think it is safer to wear your ring then leaving it somewhere. However, if you do things that cause the ring to get hit often you may want to consider not wearing during those times. For example, a friend noticed that when she takes off her rings while cooking, she stopped having issues.

Get the Prongs Checked

You should have your ring professionally checked by your jeweler once a year because it?s important to make sure the prongs are functioning properly. After all, they keep your diamond secured to your ring! They?re a lot like the brakes on your car. Most of the time, your breaks work great but they do slowly wear. One day they simply wear out and you need to get them checked out by your mechanic. Well, the prongs are like that, as well. Once they wear out, they can no longer support the diamond. Keep in mind that your prongs do have a shelf life. Of course it depends on the individual person, but typically prongs in white gold, can last about 10-15 years while platinum can last up to 25 years or longer. Also, white gold reacts to chemicals such as chlorine, so if you go into the pool a lot, you may start having issues with your prongs. Platinum is a more pure metal and doesn?t react to chemicals the way white gold does. If you have concerns about your prongs, be sure to talk it over with us and we can help you find a solution!

Check the Diamond Yourself

You don?t need to wait to take your diamond to a jeweler to get it checked out. Most things can be caught with regular checking. If you have a magnifying glass, you can do this on your own. Once you see anything suspicious, bring it in to us to check it out. It only takes a minute, and we can also clean the ring for you while you’re here. This will save you the heartache of losing your diamond without you realizing it! As you can see, after you get the ring, don?t just wear and forget it. You need to check it periodically to make sure you don?t have any major issues later on.