How should I store an engagement ring when not wearing it?

Most people do this wrong. Not maliciously - they just don't think about it until a prong is bent or a diamond comes loose. A few months ago a client named Karen came in distraught. She'd wrapped her engagement ring in a tissue on the nightstand, then forgot and threw the tissue away. A morning of dumpster diving retrieved it, but the prongs were mangled enough that a retip cost her about $180.

The bathroom is the worst place you can leave a ring. That's where about half my clients admit they take it off, right before showering or putting on lotion. Soap scum, conditioner, the humidity - none of that is kind to a platinum or gold setting over time. And a ring left on the edge of a sink is one elbow-knock away from a trip through the P-trap. I've fished out enough rings to know that the ones that survive are lucky.

Buy a proper ring box. Not the velvet clamshell the ring came in, with a single slit and a hinge that loosens after six months. Those are for presentation, not daily use. You want a box with a padded interior, a secure snap or magnetic closure, and a tight fit. A leather ring roll works beautifully if you travel. The kind Stuller offers in horsebit leather, about $35, will outlast your relationship with the jewelry store that gave you the free one.

If you have more than one ring you wear regularly - an engagement ring and a wedding band, say, or a right-hand ring - store them in separate compartments. Diamonds scratch other diamonds. A platinum band rubbing against an 18k gold one will gall the platinum and wear down the gold over months. It's slow destruction you won't notice until the edges are fuzzy and the polish is gone.

For the gym, leave the ring in the car or at home. Not in a gym bag pocket with keys and a water bottle. Buy a cheap silicone ring for workouts and keep a small zippered pouch inside your glove box. I see rings that have been crushed under a 45-pound plate more often than I'd like. A friend of mine who works the morning shift at a climbing gym finds at least two a year in the chalk buckets.

Take a photo of your ring inside the storage spot you choose. A drawer insert, a small locked safe, the ring box on your dresser - just a clear shot with your phone. If the ring is ever stolen, that picture is evidence that it existed where you said it did. It's a tiny thing that can make an insurance claim a lot less painful.

The simplest advice I give clients: pick one place, use it every single time, and never make that place the bathroom, the kitchen, or the edge of a pool. Most lost rings don't get lost walking down the street. They slide off a counter into a drain or a trash can, and nobody hears it happen.