Everyone surely loves jewelry—wearing it on your hands is often seen as a symbol of status. Yet, something that may surprise many people is why you shouldn’t wear jewelry while taking a bath. 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 shouldn't you wear jewelry while taking a bath? It’s very easy for jewelry to get damaged. When we take a bath, we often use various products such as shampoos, conditioners, body washes, and more. These personal care products contain powerful chemical substances, and many of the jewelry pieces we usually wear can easily discolor upon contact with these chemicals. Moreover, the hot water we use during bathing, combined with the intense heat emitted by bathroom heaters, creates an abnormal environment that can be downright harsh on precious jewelry. If this situation persists over a long period, it can seriously affect the appearance of your jewelry. Additionally, items like body washes and soaps used during bathing have strong lubricating properties. As a result, our fingers become extremely slippery when we apply these products. Given that ring sizes are often somewhat loose to begin with, it’s easy for rings to slip off or even become deformed during bathing.

2. So, how exactly should we properly care for our jewelry in our daily lives? We must keep it away from chemicals. The perfumes and various cosmetics we use every day contain quite strong chemical substances. If the jewelry we’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, these chemicals can permanently harm the surface of the jewelry. Moreover, certain chemicals can also cause severe damage to some colored gemstones. Before using household cleaning agents, please be sure to remove your jewelry as soon as possible. After all, these cleaning agents often contain high concentrations of ammonia. Frequent exposure to such chemicals can be highly irritating to delicate gemstones on your hands and may seriously damage the metal surfaces.

We must always keep jewelry away from light and heat. After all, over time and under the influence of prolonged exposure to light and heat, many gemstones can fade and even get damaged—for example, amethysts and shell carvings that we often wear. These pieces of jewelry are made with relatively delicate materials; if exposed to light too frequently, they can become bleached. In particular, amber—often used in everyday jewelry—will become especially dull if it’s regularly exposed to intense light.

The most important key point is to regularly clean your jewelry. In daily life, for most colored gemstones, you can use lukewarm water combined with a mild soap solution for cleaning. Alternatively, you can also use a pulsed-water dental cleaning device along with a soft cloth. Additionally, a relatively clean makeup brush dipped in warm soapy water can be used gently to clean these gems. Please remember—never rinse your jewelry directly under the faucet, as you might accidentally wash it down the drain.