I’m a fierce proponent of thorough hand washing. But please, please leave your rings on when washing your hands in a public restroom. I know what you’re thinking. Oh, I’ve heard it before. You don’t want to get soap and lotion all over your ring. So you take it off “just for a sec” while you wash and rinse. But what happens half an hour later when you realize it’s not on your finger?

If you’re lucky, you might still find it there waiting for you when you rush back to the bathroom in a panic. Maybe it’s not there, but some one-in-a-million kindhearted soul has turned it in somewhere, somewhere you actually think of going to claim it. Yeah, right.

I have a better solution: DON’T TAKE IT OFF. I’ll be happy to clean your jewelry for you – no charge. Call me whenever you need your jewelry spruced up, and I’ll set an appointment time to clean it while you wait.