There is a misconception that if we bathe with our jewellery left on, that there is no need to remove our jewellery.
We disagree. In this article, we talk about the reasons why it is important to regularly remove your jewellery, ideally every day.
Not only will our jewellery look better, but it will also ensure we aren’t harbouring bacteria or viruses – this has been highlighted in light of the last few years and all of us being more aware of the spread of viruses and disease.
Removing our jewellery also goes some to to ensuring we stay on top of any possible damage or flaws that we may not have otherwise have spotted.
Why Is It Important To Remove Jewellery?
We may think that if we regularly shower and bathe, and wash our hands multiple times every day, with our jewellery on, that our jewellery will also be clean.
Jewellery cleaning advice states that silver should be washed in warm, soapy water.
So showering or bathing with your jewellery on must be OK, right?
Not really. If that necklace that we never take off (and even sleep in) has collected dead skins cells, body oils, perspiration, maybe body lotion, perfume and hairspray over the course of a day, a week or even months at a time.
Each day another fine layer is applied.
Even worse, as natural oils gather in the nooks and crannies of our jewellery, this then attracts more particles.
The beautiful stone in your bracelet or necklace will not be enhanced with a fine layer of cream coating it!
Bathing, washing or showering with the item still against your body will not clean it properly. Chemicals in the water, soaps, shampoos, creams and perfumes will all leave a thin film on the item.
Allow The Light To Get Through!
There is a high degree of skill that goes into polishing and cutting gemstones, known as gem-cutting or lapidary. The ultimate aim in cutting gemstones is to achieve the best quantity of light passing through the gem, at the perfect angle, to show the gemstone’s full beauty and brilliance.
So why would we buy a beautiful piece of jewellery or a fabulous-looking watch only to have it looking dull and lustreless when you wear it? This, of course, will only defeat the objective of all that fabulous workmanship that has gone into the piece?
But we often don’t realise the amount of subtle build-up of debris that gathers on and around the jewellery that we wear daily!
Even the most germ-phobic of us are shocked and slightly embarrassed when we clean our jewellery and notice the difference in the sparkle and gleam afterwards.
Ironically, a large part of the film left on our jewellery which dulls it so, even after washing, is the residue of soap or product that is left behind.
Thoroughly rinsing after cleaning products, and this includes soap, especially behind the stones – which you can only do after removing the item – and then drying and buffing is a crucial part of the process in cleaning jewellery.
Jewellery Harbouring Germs
Even with bathing, it is hard to reach all the nooks and crannies of the item of jewellery, like behind the claws, for instance, or in-between the links of a chain.
This is not advisable – particularly for sterling silver jewellery and should water should never come into contact with marcasite jewellery.
In the case of rings, as we use our hands to handle many products and chemicals throughout the day. Rings can get particularly ‘grubby’. A rather stomach-churning thought, we know.
This is has been brought to the worlds attention during this awful Coronavirus outbreak – cleaning your jewellery and, particularly, your rings may help keep us free from contracting the virus as we detailed in our blog here.
Most Jewels Are Hardy, But ...
One of the fantastic qualities of jewellery is that it doesn’t perish – hence it is such a good investment! Your ring or a bracelet which you have had for 50 years can be quickly revitalised and look almost as good as new. With a little tender loving care and a clean precious metals and gemstones will only go up in value.
Whilst these materials are formed in the natural world (and were subjected to the elements), this was the rough stone formed in particular circumstances. That rough stone has since been cut, polished and buffed to bring out the very best in the gemstone.
The jewellery we wear has been crafted from precious materials, from refined metals in gold, silver and platinum to delicate and rare stones like emeralds, sapphires and diamonds. But some gemstones are more prone to being damaged than others.
Protect Your Jewellery
Chemicals or adverse conditions will affect some stones more than others. Pearls, amber and more porous gemstones can be severely affected if not looked after and protected – both from chemicals and knocks.
This means doing things like removing your rings before doing the housework in case they get knocked or damaged – we have seen lots of broken necklace chains or bracelets where it got caught in something. We’ve seen a very bent ring after a customer got caught up in a Venetian blind!
Apply perfumes, hand and/or body lotions before you put your jewellery on or, even better, after you’ve taken your jewellery.
This also includes your watch. Not removing your watch when you take part in sports or doing heavy DIY jobs or at night can lead to all sorts of problems, from scratches to water regress, even to a smashed glass.
Remember the adage that your jewellery should be the last thing you put on in the morning and the first thing you take off at night? It is an excellent guideline to follow.
One of the first things I do when I arrive home from work is to take off my jewellery and put it in a little pot on my dressing table. You do get used to this habit and it actually feels quite ‘freeing’.
We’ve seen a number of ladies, myself included for a time, suddenly suffer from what looks like contact dermatitis under and around their rings – even though they’d been wearing them for years previously with no problem at all.
Maybe removing your rings when you are at home would help your skin “breathe” a little more. It’s probably worth a try.
Noticing Defects More Easily
Apart from the distinct advantages to the appearance of our jewellery, there are other, more practical reasons to keep our jewellery clean.
If we keep our jewellery sparkling clean and frequently remove it, it will be easy to inspect the piece and quickly notice any fine cracks, chips, snags or dents in your jewellery.
Every day in the shop we see customers who have reached a point where their ring is so tight on their finger that they have a very hard job to get it off. Whether it’s due to arthritis or weight gain, it’s a common problem and it creeps up on you.
By removing your rings every evening, and popping them back on each morning, you would notice your ring getting decidedly tighter and may be more inclined to get it resized, which is relatively a quick and simple job. It is much better to do this before it gets really uncomfortable and, in the worst-case scenario, the ring has to be cut off your finger.
This means that it can then be corrected before the defect gets worse or becomes more complicated (and expensive) repair job or you lose a stone.
There are lots of benefits to removing your jewellery each evening, it takes a few minutes, at most and will help protect your jewellery, and keep it clean and sparkling ready for another day.
