Care over a lifetime.

A wedding band ages. Don't fight it — understand it.

Most men assume their wedding band will look new forever, panic when it doesn't, and either neglect it or over-clean it. Both are mistakes. Here's what your band will actually look like at year 1, 5, and 10 — and what we'll do for you, free of charge, to keep it the way you want it.

What your band actually looks like over time

Year 1 — The honeymoon period

First six months: it looks identical to the day you received it. Polished metals retain mirror finish. Hammered and brushed look exactly as designed.

Months 6–12: micro-scratches start appearing. On polished gold, you'll see a fine matte haze develop on the most-touched surfaces. On platinum, you'll see "swirls" — actually metal moving rather than wearing. Hammered surfaces still look the same.

Year 2–5 — Settling in

Your band develops what jewellers call "patina" — a soft satin sheen that replaces the original mirror polish. Most men come to prefer this look; it reads as lived-in, real, owned.

Gold rings show actual surface wear at this point — slight thinning at the contact zones (where the ring rests against your finger when you grip something). Platinum doesn't lose volume; the metal just shifts. Tantalum looks essentially unchanged.

Year 5–10 — The character years

If you've never had it polished, your gold band will have noticeable patina across all surfaces, possibly some visible scratches that didn't buff out. Polished men send their bands back to us once or twice in this window for refinishing — comes back like new.

Hammered bands: still look the same. The texture is the disguise.

Platinum: develops the most beautiful patina of any metal. The surface goes from mirror to satin to a soft pewter-like sheen that catches candlelight in a way new metal never can.

Year 10–20+ — Heirloom territory

If you've maintained the band annually with us, it'll look essentially as good as new. If you haven't, it'll have visible character — exactly what most men love at this point. Either way, the structural integrity (prongs, settings, sizing) needs verification at year 10.

What's covered for life

Every Fenora band carries a lifetime warranty. Here's what that actually includes:

At-home care

Honestly? Don't overthink this. A wedding band is built for daily wear. Once or twice a year:

— Soak in warm soapy water for 5 minutes. Use mild dish soap (not jewellery cleaner — most are too aggressive for soft gold).
— Brush gently with a soft toothbrush. Get behind any stones, into the engraving.
— Rinse, pat dry with a microfibre cloth.
— Done.

That's it. Don't use ultrasonic cleaners on hammered bands (the high-frequency vibration can dislodge any tiny imperfections). Don't use bleach, ammonia, or chlorine — chlorine actually corrodes gold alloys over time. Don't wear your band in pool chlorine if you can help it.

When to take it off

There's a school of thought that you "shouldn't ever take your wedding band off." We disagree. Take it off when:

— Heavy lifting at the gym (impact damage and finger compression risk)
— Manual labour with hard tools (hammers, drills, anything that could deform the metal or trap your finger)
— Swimming in chlorinated pools (long-term gold degradation; also higher risk of slip-off in cold water)
— Cleaning with bleach or harsh chemicals
— Surgery (sterile field requirement)
— Sleeping with very dry hands in winter (finger shrinks, ring can come off in bed)

A silicone backup ring (we sell ours in 5 sizes for $14) handles most of these scenarios — wear it instead, keep your real band safe at home or in the office.

When to send it back

For all the lifetime services, just message us. We'll send you a pre-paid insured shipping label, you post the ring back to Surat, we work on it, and ship it back insured — usually 10–14 days round trip including the work. Annual cleaning takes 24 hours at our bench; resizing 2–3 days; major repair 5–7 days.

Most clients come back to us in years 2, 5, and 10 for full service. We send them photos of the band beside its original spec, document any wear patterns, and either restore-to-new or preserve-the-character based on their preference. It's the most personal part of the work.