Skill advance question

[Irie]

Ok. So let's say you decide you want to practice swimming so that the next time you accidentally travel west one too many times you do not drown in the Trackless Sea. You are inept at swimming. You have a ring of uber swimming which bumps you up to journeyman. So if you are wearing the ring while practicing, is the game going to try to advance you from inept, or from journeyman? I'm basically wondering if wearing skill increase items will make it harder to practice those skills.