Most of us wear jewellery daily, it’s part of our day to day routine! Sometimes our jewellery almost becomes a part of ourselves to the point we forget we are wearing it, meaning our rings, bracelets and pendants go through all of our everyday tasks with us. However now more than ever, it’s important to keep in mind caring for your jewellery. Taking a little extra care to make sure it doesn’t come into contact with harsh chemicals or solutions will make your special pieces sparkle on for longer.

 

With the current COVID-19 crisis ongoing across the world, we have all become more mindful our hygiene and in particular, hand washing. So, how do you protect your rings and precious jewellery whilst doing so?

 

Beware of hand sanitiser

 

Hand sanitiser is a convenient, efficient way to disinfect your hands. However, the active chemicals can cause some damage to certain jewellery, especially gemstones. We recommend not using hand sanitiser on pearls, turquoise and opals, as these are ‘organic’ gemstones and are not resistant enough to harsh chemicals like alcohol.  Some soaps also contain alcohol and chemicals, which are usually branded as “anti-bacterial soap”. Watch out for these as well, as they can also damage your gemstones. We would advise that it’s always safest to take your hand jewellery off when using hand sanitiser to avoid damaging it.

 

Wash it before you wear it

 

It’s important to keep your jewellery clean as well as your hands. Clean individual pieces separately, following the specific guidelines for that metal/gemstone. You can read our handy guide on caring for gemstone pieces here. Be mindful of the cleaning guidelines for each individual stone, as each has its own properties which will react to solutions and chemicals differently.

 

Remember, if your hands are clean and bacteria-free, putting contaminated jewellery back on defeats the purpose. So, keep them hygienic and clean too! Not only will this improve hygiene, but will also lengthen the life of your most adored pieces too.

 

Be careful with moisturisers too

 

As well as washing our hands more often, we are most likely also moisturising them more often to keep them soft. Did you know that hands that are dry or cracked can lose their safety barrier, which means the skin doesn’t absorb the antibacterial benefits of soap and sanitiser? It’s therefore important to keep moisturizing, but be mindful of your rings, jewellery and watches when doing so. Pieces with grooves can collection lotion which if left there can cause wear and damage to the metal and/or gemstone. Bacteria can build up in these areas which may be trapped with moisture, meaning not only could your rings get damaged, it may also cause irritation to your fingers.

 

We hope these tips help to make a little difference during this difficult time.