I believe everyone absolutely loves jewelry—wearing it on your hand is seen as a symbol of status. Yet, something that may surprise many people is why you shouldn’t wear jewelry while taking a shower. In fact, quite a few people have strong questions about this very issue. If you want to keep your precious jewelry in top condition, be sure to take it off before you step into the shower—and most importantly, make sure to store it properly. So why exactly do you need to remove your jewelry before bathing?

1. Why can’t you take jewelry with you when you shower?

Very easy to damage

When we take a shower, we often use various personal care products such as shampoos, conditioners, and body washes. It’s important to know that these cosmetic products contain highly potent chemical substances. Many of the jewelry pieces we wear on a daily basis can easily discolor if they come into contact with these chemicals. Moreover, the abnormal conditions during showering—such as the hot water we use and the intense heat emitted by bathroom heaters—can be downright harsh on precious jewelry. If this situation persists for an extended period, it can seriously damage the appearance of your jewelry.

It's easy to come off.

The shower gels and soaps we use when bathing have a relatively strong lubricating effect. During use, our fingers tend to become especially slippery. Coupled with the fact that the ring sizes themselves are often somewhat loose, it’s easy for rings to slip off during bathing—and they might even become deformed in the process.

2. So, how exactly should we take good care of our jewelry in our daily lives?

Stay away from chemicals at all costs.

The perfumes and various cosmetics we use daily contain relatively strong chemicals. If jewelry you’re wearing comes into contact with these chemicals, it could easily get damaged—for instance, gold and platinum jewelry tend to fade quickly, and over time, the chemicals can permanently harm the surface of these pieces. Moreover, these chemicals can also cause serious damage to certain colored gemstones.

Before using household cleaning agents, please be sure to remove any jewelry you’re wearing as soon as possible. After all, these cleaning agents contain a high concentration of ammonia. If you do this frequently, the strong irritant properties of ammonia can severely damage the surfaces of delicate gemstones on your hands and cause significant harm to metal surfaces.

We must always keep jewelry away from light and heat in our daily lives.

After all, with prolonged wear and exposure to light and heat, many gemstones can fade and become damaged—for example, amethysts and shell reliefs that we often wear. After all, these pieces of jewelry feature relatively delicate materials that can bleach when exposed to light for extended periods. In particular, amber—often used in everyday jewelry—can become especially dull if it’s frequently exposed to intense light.

You should clean your jewelry regularly.

This is the most crucial point: For most colored gemstones in daily life, we can clean them using lukewarm water and a mild soap solution. You can also use a pulsed-water tooth-cleaning device along with a soft cloth. Alternatively, you can gently clean them with a relatively clean makeup brush and warm soapy water. Please, everyone, be sure to remember: Never rinse your jewelry directly under the faucet—otherwise, you could easily accidentally wash it down the drain.