How do I keep the ring safe during an outdoor proposal?

For an outdoor proposal, the ring stays in a zippered pocket until the exact moment you're on one knee. Not a jacket pocket with a button. Not a backpack. Not a pants pocket you've been sitting on for an hour. A zippered interior pocket, closed, with the box inside it.

Last summer a client named Marco reset his grandmother's diamond for a paddleboard proposal. He had the ring in a zippered pocket of his swim trunks. She said yes, and as he went to slide the ring on her finger, a small wake rocked the board. The ring went into six feet of lake water. They found it two hours later with a dive mask, and he paid me $220 to clean it, check the prongs, and size it up half a size. Pure luck. Most lake proposals don't end that well.

So the first rule is location. Water, sand, wind, and heights are the four things that lose rings. A beach is fine for the walk afterward, but don't open the box over dry sand unless you want grit in the setting, sand in the hinge, and a ring that needs a deep clean before she's even worn it for an hour. Don't propose on a dock, a boat, a bridge, or a paddleboard unless you're both sitting down and her hand is dry. If the ring hits moving water, it's gone. Currents don't care about sentimental value.

If you're hiking or climbing to the spot, carry the actual ring only if there's a flat, stable place to stop. Otherwise bring a stand-in: a $20 cubic zirconia in a simple setting, or even just the empty box. Propose with the stand-in, tell her the real one is safe at home or in the car, and swap it when you're off the mountain. It sounds unromantic until you've spent three hours on your hands and knees looking for a 1.2 carat diamond in pine needles.

What else:

• Keep the box in a hard-sided case if you're wearing a pack. A soft ring box can crush in a bag and pop open.
• If it's cold, warm her hand in yours for a minute before you put the ring on because fingers shrink in cold and a ring that's too big can slip right off over a knuckle.
• Take gloves off completely. Don't try to push a ring over a glove or a wet, sunscreen-slick hand.
• If there's a photographer, tell them where to stand so you don't have to turn quickly with the ring out.
• Insure the ring before you leave the house. A standalone jewelry policy takes about an hour to bind, and it covers loss, theft, and mysterious disappearance.

I had a client kneel on a loose rock, slip, and close the ring box on his own thumb. Ring was fine. Thumb needed three stitches. He held it in his left hand for the photos.

Keep the ring hidden, keep her hand dry, keep your balance, and keep the box closed until you don't need it anymore. If you're unsure about a spot, don't bring the real ring. She'll forgive a stand-in faster than a lost diamond. Keep the box closed.