Engagement Rings for Active Lifestyles

Before any design decision, think about what the hand does every day. Training with weights, climbing, cooking, clinical work, working with tools, caring for small children. An engagement ring can be beautiful and practical; it just needs to be designed for the life it will lead.

Each of these makes a ring more robust:

A lower setting

A stone that sits close to the finger snags less and takes fewer knocks than one raised high.

A bezel or half bezel

A rim of metal around the stone protects its edge and has no claws to catch.

Six claws instead of four

More points of contact, and a stone still held if one claw is damaged.

A shape without points

Round, oval, cushion and radiant have no fragile tips. Pears, marquises and princess cuts need their points protected.

A sturdy band

A slightly wider and deeper shank resists bending and wears for longer.

Platinum

Dense and tough, and its claws wear slowly.

A hard stone

Diamond, sapphire and ruby withstand daily wear far better than softer gems.

High cathedral settings, very fine bands, pavé that runs all the way round, and softer gemstones such as emerald or opal all need more care. None of them is ruled out, but they suit a gentler routine, or a ring that comes off more often.

Take the ring off for the gym, climbing, contact sport and heavy work, and give it a safe home while it is off. Some people wear a simple band, or a silicone ring, for training. Have the claws checked regularly. And insure it.