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Gold jewellery is something women adore. And if it's a special piece you picked because you fell in love with its design or were gifted by someone special, you may crave to keep it close and never miss an opportunity to display or show it off.
Through the ages, gold has maintained its appeal and value and continues to captivate everyone. Gold jewellery complements and even elevates your appearance, making you want to wear it at all times, even in the shower. Gold jewellery is extremely robust, resistant to daily wear and tear and seems to last forever. But does it become affected by water when you bathe or shower with it? Is that lovely gold chain likely to get damaged or lose its shine? Is it acceptable to shower while wearing a gold bracelet? Let's find out.
What Happens If You Shower With Your Jewellery?
Gold ornaments are expensive and hold sentimental value to almost all of us. One of the reasons why gold is so precious is because it is inert, which means it does not get affected by most things, including water. Although jewellery made of gold can be worn in the shower, wearing it daily at the time of showering has some disadvantages. Upon contact with water, pure gold will not change or lose colour due to its non-reactive nature. But it can get affected by perfumes, lotions, soap or oils or their residue.
Pure gold is super soft, and jewellery pieces will only hold their shape if mixed with other metals, adding strength and durability and allowing them to be moulded into a desired design. These added metals, such as silver and copper, can have undesirable reactions during daily showering. Water can cause this kind of jewellery to start looking lacklustre or rust or tarnish.
In some areas, the water supply can be hard, carrying a variety of dissolved minerals. Regular exposure to hard water can negatively impact the appearance of your gold ornaments. Fading can occur, and your gleaming ring can become a dull-looking object. Minerals such as calcium and phosphorus from the hard water can deposit on the surface of your 14k gold necklace, bracelet, or other pieces, causing it to lose its original shine. Although real gold is more resistant to water or rust, it is rarely used in making a piece of jewellery for daily use. Therefore, you need to be vigilant about your precious valuables when showering.
Although repolishing will bring back the shine, it will result in the loss of some gold weight. In fact, it is not so much the shower water but physical damage, such as scratching of your fine gold jewellery that can be a bigger problem. Therefore, avoid scrubs and exfoliators when in the shower, which can cause microscopic wear on the gold finish that will quickly become visible. Many jewellers and manufacturers now recommend waterproof pieces with a higher gold percentage for daily wear and use at all times.
Know your Karat
22-karat gold is 22 parts gold, mixed with metals like copper or silver. Similarly, 10k gold is 10 parts gold and 14 parts of metal alloys; 18k gold has a higher percentage of gold than 10k and 14k. The higher the non-gold component, such as copper, in a piece, the greater it's chance of rusting, tarnishing or changing colour when in regular contact with water.
If you are unsure about the karat of gold in your jewellery, it's best to remove it before stepping into the shower. Make a ritual of removing the gold jewellery outside before entering the shower enclosure. You only need to do so when your jewellery composition is unknown or has a low gold component. However, if you still wish to wear your 22-karat or 18-karat gold jewellery when showering, these tips may keep your precious metal pieces sparkling for a more extended period.
Do's and Dont's
- Soap or lotions can find their way into the crevices of carved pieces, though this may be fine with smooth or flat bangles or rings.
- Some chemicals in beauty lotions and sprays can gradually dull your gold jewellery. Mild products are good for you, your ornaments and the environment.
- If the shower water is too cold, your ring may glide off your contracted fingers. It may get lost if you don't notice in time.
- Chlorine or hard water can stain and tarnish the metals in gold alloys and may cause the polish on gemstones to fade.
- If you have stone settings in your jewellery, moisture can accelerate the weakening of the glue. The loosening out of a precious stone due to such circumstances is something you wouldn't appreciate.
- Frequent exposure to moisture can contribute to loss of luster, corrosion, and tarnishing.
- When you dry your body after a shower, ensure you also thoroughly dry your gold jewellery. Make sure there is no moisture on them.
- Wipe dry with a soft cloth which won't scratch the pieces. A short, quick shower can recharge you and is a lot better for your gold ornaments due to minimal contact with water.
- Even if you prolong your shower with your favourite gold bracelet, do that occasionally, as the less time you spend in the shower, the lower any chance of effects on the gold.
You must be aware that the specific care requirements for your jewellery can depend on several factors such as the gold karat purity, use of gemstones, carvings and the overall design. It would also depend on whether that gold chain you hold close to you is real gold jewelry, rose gold, gold filled, solid gold or gold plated jewelry.
As a leading distributor of showers and showering products, we aim to provide guidelines to improve your experience. Besides giving you the best products at the best prices, we also try to create awareness on all possible problems that can arise in and around bathrooms and their potential and effective solutions. Overall, the above guidelines should nicely cover the general care of most gold ornaments during showers.
