There's no denying that one of the best parts of getting married is the bling. Your engagement ring and wedding band are symbols of undying love. Yet wedding bands can look scratched and faded over time, and who wants to go through the horror of watching their engagement diamond slip off the setting and into a sink drain? With this in mind, Shane Co. offers these tips for keeping your bridal jewelry looking good as new.

Always take your jewelry off when cleaning house or doing rigorous activities, like sports. Harsh cleaning chemicals and excess body sweat can loosen mountings and cause gemstones to go flying. Also, avoid hitting your jewelry against hard surfaces. Also, when not wearing your jewelry, try to keep it separated to prevent pieces from banging into each other. This prevents scratching and other damage.

While diamonds are usually center stage on the typical engagement ring, other gemstones like rubies and sapphires are often found on engagement rings and wedding bands. These stones can be cleaned easily with a soft brush like an old toothbrush, and a homemade cleaning solution of one part ammonia to six parts water. When scrubbing, be careful not to scratch the metal setting, and always rinse afterward.

The same soft brush and ammonia solution can also be used to clean the gold or platinum parts of your jewelry too. Just be sure that the brush you are using is too soft to scratch the metal (no steel wool, please!) Remember to rinse after cleaning and wipe dry with a soft cloth.

All Shane Co. wedding jewelry comes with a free lifetime warranty that is easy to maintain. Every six months, bring your jewelry by any Shane Co. location to have it professionally cleaned and inspected by expert jewelers. Doing this regularly maintains the warranty and doesn't cost you a penny. Plus, you can look at gorgeous jewelry while you wait! Who doesn't want that?