It's Saturday morning and you just got up to get ready for a day out in the mall. You put on your favorite ring stack and stud earrings, but after an hour, they start to irritate your skin. It's an odd situation considering that you've been wearing them for the past three years with no problems. However, there may be a reason for that.
The answer is that jewelry gets dirty.
We wear our jewelry daily, and for almost every task we do. Our hands touch nearly everything we see in our day-to-day lives, so we make sure to keep them washed. But, how about our jewelry? Dirt, grime, and moisture can build up over time without you even noticing it, especially if the jewelry has hollow areas or 'pockets' where the dirt can hide.
So now that we've covered the problem and the reason for that problem, how do we fix it?
Before anything, I just wanted to mention that there is no direct way to prevent dirt and grime from building up when wearing your jewelry out. However, there are ways that we can maintain our jewelry so that they are presentable and ready to wear all the time, without having the worry of it irritating your skin.
1. Take your jewelry to your local jewelry shop and they should be able to clean your jewelry so that feel and look new once again. With the help of their professional cleaning equipment and products, all the dirt and grime in your jewelry should be fully cleaned out.
2. While you're still there, you can ask the shop if they see any damage to your jewelry. Small scratches and scapes, especially on rings, can cause irritation.
3. Next, make sure that the size is right for you. Irritation can occur if your ring is too small for your fingers. If they're too small, ask the shop to resize the ring for you.
4. You should take your jewelry off for certain tasks. This might sound a little crazy, but some tasks are not good for your jewelry, and neither will they end up being good for you or your fingers.
5. Rinse out your jewelry every now and then. Use warm water with a soft-bristled toothbrush. This will help clean out dirt and grime that has been built up on the surface, and if done often enough, your jewelry should look cleaned and maintained most of the time without professional help. Also, don't forget to dry your jewelry before storing them back after cleaning.
6. This is more of a DIY tip, but adding a bit of clear nail varnish around the inside of your jewelry can help prevent dirt and grime from sticking to it.
7. If you still feel the same irritation after going through all the tips listed above, you might actually be allergic to your jewelry. Yeah, it's definitely a bummer but it happens at times. It might seem like all is lost, but there is still one last tip/solution - thanks to Rhodium plating. Rhodium is a hypoallergenic metal that is used for plating certain types of jewelry. If you feel like you are having an allergic reaction due to the metal plating that was used, make sure to consider rhodium plating when buying your next piece of treasure!
After reading this blog, I hope you'll never have to deal with irritation from your jewelry ever again!