Can you wear jewellery in water? Shower, pool and sea

‘Waterproof jewellery’ is not a property a piece either has or lacks. The only real question is how quickly a particular kind of water affects a particular plating. Here is an honest answer for each situation.

Shower

Steel jewellery survives a quick shower unharmed. The problem is not the water but the soap: it builds up in clasps, under stones and between chain links, and that is exactly where discolouration starts.

If you wear your jewellery in the shower every day, you also need to wipe it dry every day. The routine: jewellery care.

Swimming pool

Chlorine is the harshest thing your jewellery meets in everyday life. It wears down plating faster than months of normal wear.

Here the answer is simple: take your jewellery off before you swim. That isn't being overcautious — it is the one situation where a single swim can leave a visible mark.

Sea

Salt is less aggressive than chlorine, but it stays on the piece after a swim and keeps working until it is washed off.

The practical fix: if your jewellery has been in the sea, rinse it in fresh water the same day and let it dry completely. A wet piece left in your bag does more harm than the sea itself.

Which jewellery copes best with water

• Unplated medical steel jewellery. It does not rust, and water does nothing to it: medical steel.
• Gold-plated jewellery. Water itself is not the problem, but chlorine and salt shorten the life of the plating: jewellery plating explained.
• Jewellery with glued-in stones. The worst option — water gets under the stone and the glue loosens.

Browse: All jewellery, Silver-tone jewellery, Gold-plated jewellery.

If your jewellery has already been in water

First work out whether the colour has changed because of build-up on the surface or because of wear — they are two different cases: if your jewellery has darkened.

Gold plating has its own rules, and polishing is strictly off-limits: caring for gold-plated jewellery.

Frequently asked questions