Engagement Rings for Active Lifestyles: 6 Steps to Finding Your Perfect Fit

Just like your romantic relationship, an engagement ring is something special. It’s a piece of jewelry you’re likely to wear all the time, and it’s often quite an investment, so you want to make sure it’s built to last. If you lead an active lifestyle, you’ll want to find a ring that balances your personal style, practical concerns, and durability needs. In this article, we’ll explore the six best ways to shop for engagement rings for active lifestyles.

#1: Consider Your Lifestyle and Activities 

Take some time to think about how you spend your days. Are most of your weekends dedicated to marathon training? Are you whole-heartedly committed to your recreational soccer team? Maybe you prefer beach volleyball games to happy hours (or maybe happy hour is your next stop — they’re not mutually exclusive). Whatever you love to do, take the details into consideration when shopping for an engagement ring. You might not want to invest in a really high carat natural diamond if you know it could easily get caught while playing tennis, for example. Thinking practically about your lifestyle and the jewelry you wear everyday can help you refine your search parameters for an engagement ring. 

#2: Choose Durable and Low Maintenance Materials

Before you begin your search, do some research on jewelry materials. Lots of popular choices for engagement rings combine precious metals (like gold, silver, or platinum) with diamonds or other precious gemstones. These are not only beautiful and elegant materials, but they’re also very durable which makes for a strong engagement ring that can withstand a little wear and tear. Gold-plated metals or rings made from brass or copper will be more likely to tarnish and less likely to hold up over time, especially if you use your hands often. 

You’ll also want to consider whether these materials make sense for your active lifestyle. For example, exposure to water expedites the tarnishing process — so if you’re a swimmer and you spend most of your time in the pool or ocean, you might not want to commit to wearing a metal ring. A waterproof e-coating can help prevent tarnish, while a silicon ring avoids it completely. There are lots of alternatives to traditional engagement ring materials, so don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. 

#3: Find Your Gemstone (Or Not!)

Gemstones each have different properties, like color, opacity, and brilliance. One of the most important factors to consider when shopping for engagement rings for active lifestyles is gemstone hardness, or their tendency to scratch. The Mohs Hardness Scale is the standard in this category; it ranks gemstones between 1 (softest) and 10 (hardest) . Diamonds are very durable, and are the hardest gemstone in the world with a Mohs ranking of 10. Sapphires follow diamonds with a 9 on the Mohs scale. An opal is between 5.5 and 6.5 on the scale, and a pearl ranks between 2.5 and 4.5. While more delicate stones can be gorgeous, they’re probably not a practical choice for everyday wear with an active lifestyle because they can get scratched and damaged much more easily than harder gemstones.

While most traditional engagement rings do feature some gemstones, you don’t have to stick to a conventional approach. If you’ve considered your lifestyle and think that you probably won’t end up wearing a gemstone ring because it will get in the way of your favorite activities, then maybe a ring with a gemstone isn’t right for you. Instead, consider options like a simple band with beautiful engraved designs, or a colorful e-coated band that matches your aesthetic. You have plenty of options, so don’t feel pressured to stick to the norm if it’s not for you. 

#4: Select a Secure and Practical Setting

If you do decide to opt for a gemstone, the setting of a ring is an important factor in its security. The setting is what keeps your gemstone in place; some of the most popular types are prong, bezel, channel, and tension settings. A bezel setting, where the gemstone is nestled into the band, is a great choice because the embedded gemstone will limit exposure — the downside is that the stone will be less visible, but the upside is that it has much less opportunity to get scratched, lost, or snagged on something. A prong (where tiny metal claws grip the gemstone) or tension setting (where a gemstone is secured between two pieces of metal pressing together) leaves much of the gemstone exposed, which can lead to accidents if you’re using your hands often. 

#5: Prioritize Comfort and Fit

First and foremost, you should ensure that your ring is the right size for your finger. Especially with an active lifestyle, a big ring runs the risk of falling off and getting lost, while a small ring can be dangerous — if snagged the wrong way, you could end up with a ring avulsion. Finding the right size can prevent any accidents. You’ll also want to make sure that you can try on different rings to see if they feel comfortable on your finger. Check for flexibility and mobility by mimicking the movements you make when doing your favorite activities, like holding onto your bike handles for example. You want to make sure your ring won’t pinch your finger, become uncomfortable, or limit your range of motion at all.

#6: Make it Your Own

Take advantage of the opportunity to make your ring your own with customized features. Think about engraving something personal onto the band or soldering your engagement ring to your wedding band. You can even get creative and decide to opt out of a ring altogether if another piece of jewelry makes more sense for your lifestyle. Maybe you know you’ll wear a pendant more than a ring — there’s no rule that says you can’t get an engagement necklace instead. (In fact, there are no rules at all. Do you!)   

At the end of the day, your engagement ring is a symbol of your unique partnership and love, and so it should be customized to you and your lifestyle. If you’ve done all your research and followed all this guidance but still can’t find the right ring for you, take matters into your own hands. Design your own custom ring with our expert jeweler teams at Quick Jewelry Repairs. Our professionals will walk you through the entire process and help you choose the right materials, settings, and fit for you and your lifestyle.