Whether you are in the medical field or the food service industry, gloves are your everyday reality. You don’t want to worry about your engagement ring ripping your glove– you have enough things to worry about at work.
Good news! You can have a gorgeous engagement ring that is also functional with gloves.
Many gloved-professionals buy their dream engagement ring and leave it at home. This is a great option for some people. Having a simpler ring to wear at work, vacation, or while exercising is fantastic. A safe place at home or a necklace around your neck are both great places to keep your engagement ring away from harm. But what if we were to tell you that you can have a gorgeous, sparkling engagement ring that you don’t have to leave behind?
There are three important factors to keep in mind when choosing an engagement ring suitable for gloved-professionals:
Metal Type
Any job that requires you to wear gloves at work is also a job with a strong emphasis on sanitation. Using harsh chemicals like bleach, antibacterial soaps, and even hand sanitizer over time can cause the brilliance of many metals and stones to fade. Experts suggest you remove your engagement ring when applying hand sanitizer, let your hands dry, then put the ring back on. This process can be tricky in fast-paced circumstances.
Most engagement rings are gold or platinum, both of which can be great options for people washing their hands a LOT.
For either choice, we recommend taking it off once a week to soak it in some warm water and dish soap. This will help maintain the luster depleted by harsh chemicals.
Gold
While gold is a soft metal, it scratches less than platinum. 14K gold is the best choice for someone washing their hands frequently. It is much more durable than 18K gold.
Because gold is so soft, it must be mixed with harder metals like copper and nickel for jewelry. 14K gold has a lower percentage of gold in the alloy (mixture) than 18K gold. The lower percentage of gold in 14K gold means a higher percentage of hard, durable metals. This rule applies for all colors: white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold.
We love this striking Heirloom Cathedral diamond engagement ring from Blue Nile in 14K white gold.
Platinum
Platinum is a more expensive option, but the appearance is almost an exact match to white gold.
Platinum needs cleaning and polishing every few years. While more durable than gold, it scratches more easily. You might need to polish and replate platinum rings more than gold. When you polish and clean platinum, some of the platinum erodes from the ring which means you may need to replate it more than gold.
Platinum is a great option for some because it is hypoallergenic.
Here is an example of a beautiful Reverse Taper Milgrain Diamond Engagement Ring in platinum.
Setting Type
There are certain settings known to make your ring slick and smooth, features that will protect your gloves and patients from scratches.
Bezel
A bezel setting secures the diamond to a band with a thin metal strip around its entirety, rather than using prongs to attach the diamond. Prongs are the number one snagging offender and this style takes them out of the picture.
This Bezel Set Solitaire Engagement Ring from Blue Nile is a classic wonder with a highly secured sparkle.
We also love this Bezel Straight Baguette Three Stone Engagement Ring for its classy yet modern look.
Channel
A channel setting has the stones of a ring embedded with two strips of metal. The stones are extremely safe within this mounting, very unlikely to fall out or chip. You don’t have to worry about any prongs snagging because they are within the channel. While more difficult to clean and resize, these rings are glamorous and classy.
We love this channel set diamond ring from Blue Nile. While typically given as a wedding band, it makes a stunning engagement ring as well.
This channel set diamond engagement ring features a cathedral shank setting. The cathedral setting prongs create a smoother line than classic prongs, a perk for gloved-professionals.
Stacking Rings
It’s worth a moment to look at the fun nature of the stacking ring because they are well suited to wear beneath gloves. Stacking rings are a trend in which you wear many smaller, non-uniformed rings (you guessed it!) stacked on top of each other. We love their versatility as these rings are worn one at a time or all together. They also provide a great outlet for creativity since you can design your own combination.
When styling your stack, keep in mind one feature to remain consistent. This feature will “tie” your look together. If you want to play with different metals, keep the color of stone consistent. If you want to use different colors of stones, keep the metal consistent. Be mindful of the width of the rings in your stack. A completed look is more attainable when the widths of each ring band are uniform.
This Alternating diamond bar ring from James Allen has double the glove protection. The smaller diamonds will protect against snags because they have a lower height. Lower height (measured from the finger to the table of the stone) is a great protective factor when considering a ring. Or be a little unconventional with this wavy sapphire/diamond stackable ring.
We also love the vintage feel of this Milgrain Marquise and Dot Diamond Ring from Blue Nile. This ring is visually exciting with the different shapes and textures.
Add some color flair to your stack with this Channel-Set Princess Cut Sapphire and Diamond Ring. This ring has the safety of the channel setting, making sure no stone is lost, no glove is snagged.
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
What we love about them:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment
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