Your day-to-day activities affect how rapidly your jewelry ages or shows signs of wear and tear. Simply: the less you expose your jewelry to the sources of normal wear and tear, the slower it will show signs of wear and tear. Basically: don’t let it rub up against things, including other jewelry, and limit its exposure to natural elements and chemicals.
Humidity, chemicals, hairspray, and perfume can be your jewelry's archenemies, so spray first, accessorize second, and keep your jewels out of the bathroom, shower, kitchen sink, hot tub, sprinkler, monsoon. All of this applies whether you’re wearing or storing your jewelry. We also recommend removing jewelry before working out or getting sweaty, as sweat from different body chemistries can cause different reactions with metal. Chlorine and other pool/hot tub chemicals can be particularly damaging to certain metals and may permanently ruin your jewelry.
A few activities we’ve seen end poorly for jewelry:
It’s not guaranteed that doing any of the above will cause harm to your jewelry, but it’s possible. The jewelry we make is made to last, but not indestructible. Basically, when in doubt, remove your jewelry. Be most careful with pieces that include inlay, fine chains, very thin wires and fibers.
Humidity, chemicals, hairspray, and perfume can be your jewelry's archenemies, so spray first, accessorize second, and keep your jewels out of the bathroom, shower, kitchen sink, hot tub, sprinkler, monsoon. All of this applies whether you’re wearing or storing your jewelry. We also recommend removing jewelry before working out or getting sweaty, as sweat from different body chemistries can cause different reactions with metal. Chlorine and other pool/hot tub chemicals can be particularly damaging to certain metals and may permanently ruin your jewelry.
A few activities we’ve seen end poorly for jewelry:
- Sleeping in jewelry - Obviously an issue for earring and necklaces, but also for rings and bracelets too: the constant friction between sheets and metal as one sleeps can cause rings to wear down over time. They can also get caught on bedding without one realizing it.
- Stacking jewelry - Don’t get us wrong, we’re all about a good stack. But you should know that stacked rings and bracelets are more likely to rub against each other, which can affect the finish of these pieces over time.
- Climbing, mountain biking, cycling, spin workouts, weight lifting - activities which put strain on your hands and can cause metal to bend or wear down. Earrings and necklaces may get caught or bent, metal that’s sweated on can react to body chemistry.
- Hot tubbing, pools, hot springs, cleaning house with any sort of cleaning product (natural or non) - you just never know what’s in cleaning supplies or chemically treated water and how it will react to your jewelry.
- Difficult hikes, saunas, strenuous physical exertion and activity - metal that’s sweated on can react to body chemistry and of course strenuous activity poses a risk of bends and snags.
- Washing dishes or your hands - be especially careful when wearing rings with oxidized areas, soft stones, and painted or epoxied components, but even rings without these characteristics can be affected by water or different soaps. Sometimes this is preferred; your rings get cleaned. Over time, it can change the finish by burnishing away a more matte finish or adding tiny micro abrasions to high polished finishes.
- Gardening, beach activities, making things like ceramics - grit, sand, and other abrasives can damage stones and metal.
It’s not guaranteed that doing any of the above will cause harm to your jewelry, but it’s possible. The jewelry we make is made to last, but not indestructible. Basically, when in doubt, remove your jewelry. Be most careful with pieces that include inlay, fine chains, very thin wires and fibers.