Protect Your Investment
Fine jewelry is durable, but it is not indestructible. Certain everyday activities can damage settings, scratch metals, dull diamonds, and weaken clasps. Knowing when to remove your jewelry prevents costly repairs and keeps your pieces looking new.
Always Remove Before
- Cleaning with chemicals: Bleach, ammonia, and harsh cleaning products can discolor gold alloys (especially white gold's rhodium plating), damage silver, and attack certain gemstone treatments. Remove all jewelry before household cleaning
- Swimming: Chlorine in pools attacks gold alloys and can cause permanent discoloration. Salt water is less harmful but can accelerate tarnishing on silver. Cold water also causes fingers to shrink — rings slip off in water more often than anywhere else
- Working out with weights: Metal barbells and dumbbells scratch gold and can bend prong settings. The grip pressure can also deform thin rings and bracelets
- Applying lotions, sunscreen, and hair products: These products create a film on diamonds that blocks light and reduces sparkle by up to 30%. They also accelerate silver tarnishing. Apply products first, then put jewelry on last
- Cooking and food preparation: Dough, raw meat, and sticky ingredients get into ring settings and are difficult to clean. Remove rings when handling food with your hands
- Sleeping: While many people sleep in their jewelry, it increases the risk of bending thin rings, catching chain necklaces, and scratching pieces against each other. If you sleep in jewelry, stick to simple studs and avoid necklaces
Safe to Wear During
- Hand washing: Brief hand washing with mild soap is fine. Diamond rings can handle it. Dry thoroughly afterward
- Showering: Generally safe for gold and diamonds, but soap residue builds up over time. Occasional is fine; daily showering with jewelry accelerates the need for cleaning
- Office work: All jewelry is fine for desk work. Just be aware of banging rings against hard surfaces
- Walking and light exercise: Secure jewelry (studs, short chains, fitted bracelets) is fine for walking, yoga, and light cardio
The Order Rule
Jewelry goes on LAST (after all products, clothes, and preparation) and comes off FIRST (before any activity that could damage it). This simple habit prevents 90% of everyday jewelry damage.
