Protecting Your Jewelry 

Dear Lee, 

As I washed my hands for the fourth time today, I noticed some dirt on the orange coral cameo that was the “stone” set in my antique ring. I’ve been wearing it because the Romans thought that coral protected the wearer from illness. So far, it seems to have worked! But as I scrubbed, a thought popped into my head—does the ring and other jewelry need protection from the antiseptic soaps I have been using? Even though I’m at home, I like to wear an opal ring, a vintage (pre–1940) costume jewelry chain of turquoise nuggets, each set in a little cage of gold colored metal, and a short chain with a charm shaped like a typewriter made of 14–karat gold.  

I did a little research and here is what I learned. 

Public restrooms 

Public restrooms use many types of soap that may harm metal and “stones” made of organic material like pearls, ivory, amber, jet, coral and some opals. Don’t put any exfoliating cream on your hands when you are wearing a ring. It is too abrasive and will eventually dull the metal and the stone. 

Diamond ring 

Use jewelry cleaner, a soft toothbrush and a warm, weak solution of baby soap or dish soap. Soak the ring in the solution and later rinse it and dry it on a paper towel. If soap or hand sanitizer dries on your hands and rings, the dried residue will dull the gemstones. It can be corrected with a good cleaning. 

Gold and Silver 

White gold wears faster with sanitizer and alcohol, and chlorine tarnishes silver. Thorough, regular cleaning will mitigate the problems.  

Organic Gems or Porous Stones 

Hand sanitizer should not be used on any organic gems, like coral or pearls, and is not safe for porous stones like opals or turquoise. Remember the coral ring I wear? The alcohol in hand sanitizer can dry it out and may cause surface damage or cracking. (P.S. If the color of your coral jewelry is changing, try wiping it with hydrogen peroxide to restore the color.) 

Final thoughts 

If you are using a lot more moisturizer to offset the constant handwashing, remember that rings set with gems can collect lotion behind the stones. That may eventually lead to unnecessary wear and may even contribute to loosening the prongs that hold the stones in the setting. Be careful and check your rings regularly.  

Frequent handwashing and hand sanitizers are a part of everyday life now. But let’s keep our jewelry safe and sparkling!