The Do's & Don'ts of wearing your jewelry to the beach

Each summer, many customers are wondering wether it is a good idea to wear their jewelry on holidays at the beach or when going to the swimmingpool. Here are a few advices.

1. Do or don’t ?

The first thing to consider is the fact that you could simply loose your jewelry. Once you hit the cold water your hands start to shrink, so do not wear your engagement ring or wedding band when you go for a swim! Many expensive jewelry pieces have already disappeared in the ocean. Any rings should go off your fingers before entering the pool or the sea, unless they are very tight and you never take them off.

2. Can sand harm jewelry ?

Sand is silica. It is also the main component of glass, so it is very abrasive and will wear off the surface of material like gold plating and vermeil. Solid gold -18kt- should be fine. Concerning the gemstones, it depends their hardness. A hard stone like diamond, sapphire or ruby won't be hurt. But if it is a softer stone like tanzanite, tourmaline or quartz (below 7-8 on the Mohs Scale), then it is a lot more likely to be damaged.

3. What's the effect of climate on jewelry?

Salt air can rust any sort of non-ferric metal like steel or iron, and it can have a long term effect on any jewelry. It is especially dangerous with rose gold jewelry as they contain copper. Sea salt is very corrosive to copper and will damage the jewelry much faster than yellow gold, which contains silver and brass.

4. How do we recommend jewelry be stored in a salt-air environment?

Don't make the mistake to store your jewelry in a cloth or plastic ziploc bags without any ventilation in it. Once you cut off the air supply, chemical reactions can take place. We recommend to just put the jewelry in a cool, dry place which is properly ventilated.

5. What about sweat, creams or suntan lotions?

Sweat and certain creams (depending their composition) can create chemical reactions, but this is especially true with silver, less with gold. Suntan lotions won't harm any metal though, because there is nothing corrosive in it, otherwise we would not apply them on our bodies. But it will rot any sort of string, thread or ribbon.

6. What types of materials are best for the beach?

Durable materials like fine gold (18kt gold) and platinum should be fine as long as you take them off before going for a swim. It is the same with diamonds or certain precious colored stones (sapphires/rubies) because they are hard materials. No damage can come to a diamond gold ring at the beach, only the risk to loose it or to tarnish the stone because of sand of dried water stuck behing the stone or between the prongs! In doubt, simply contact Laurence.

& don't forget to enjoy your holidays!