Should I get a ring holder necklace for when I can't wear my ring?

Yes, with a caveat: most ring holder necklaces are better at looking cute than at holding a ring. If you're going to wear a ring holder necklace, get one that actually closes.

I make this recommendation a lot in the studio. A nurse, a physical therapist, a rock climber, and a new mother with a baby who keeps scratching herself on the prongs are exactly the kind of clients I tell to keep the ring off the finger but close to the body. A holder necklace can work. The ring stays with you, which matters emotionally, and you avoid the horror of wrapping it in a tissue on the gym floor.

What actually works

The cheap ones fail. The open-cradle style, where the ring rests on a little hook or a V-shaped notch, is a snag waiting to happen. Put a hand through a gym bag strap, catch the ring at the wrong angle, and it's gone. I've seen it twice. Last spring a client named Mina lost a 0.9 carat diamond that way during a spin class. She found the ring under a treadmill, but the prongs were bent and the stone was gone. Repairs ran about $340, and that was lucky.

A holder that closes properly changes the odds. Look for:

• A hinged or screw-shut bail you open, slip the ring through, then close again
• A solid chain of 1.2mm or thicker, not a hollow or gold-filled one
• A clasp with a positive click, not a flimsy lobster claw under 1mm

The ring should not be able to slide off without opening the mechanism. A closed jump ring can work if it's soldered shut. Avoid anything that just hooks.

Metal matters more than people think. If that necklace sits against skin all day, it's going to take lotion, sunscreen, sweat, and friction. Sterling silver with a good polish can be fine if you're not drenched in it, and Argentium is a solid choice if you want silver. But if you wear it daily and you're active, I'd tell you to get 10k or 14k solid gold, or platinum if the chain and finding are solid, because plated brass will wear through in six months and leave a gray-green stain on your collarbone. That's not a metaphor.

When I'd skip it

Skip it for swimming, hot tubs, and open-water anything. Leave the ring at home in a hard case. Chlorine and salt water are not kind to settings, and a necklace adds a strangling hazard in moving water. Same goes for contact sports. A ring around your neck during jiu-jitsu is not safer than a ring on your finger. It's just a different way to get yanked. Surgery is another one. The hospital will ask you to remove it anyway.

If you just need a safe place for a few hours, a hard-shell case in a zipped pocket or your bag beats a necklace. But if you want the ring physically with you, buy a holder that closes, buy it in a metal that survives your life, and check the clasp before you wear it. I mean check it every time.

I'd still rather you leave the ring in a box at home than risk it around your neck at the wrong moment.