Can you wear sterling silver in the water? Can you wear sterling silver in the pool? Can you wash hands with a sterling silver ring? If you are looking for the best sterling silver jewelry, the first thing you’d want to know is the design of the jewelry and if you can go on your daily life without having to worry about the jewelry and having to remove it all the time. One of these considerations would be whether you can wear the sterling silver in water or not.
So, should you wear sterling silver in the water?
Well, the short and simple answer is yes. You can wear sterling silver in water. But there is one catch, is the jewelry made of actual sterling silver? Answering this question is extremely important because in as much as water will not cause any damage to sterling silver, the composition of the metals besides the sterling silver matter significantly.
While water causes the fast oxidation of silver, hence that dark tarnish that forms quickly, you need to think of the type of water you are exposing the sterling silver to and the chemicals in the water. The chemicals in water cause tarnishing more often, meaning it might not be a good idea to have a sterling silver ring in water with harsh chemicals.
In other words, it is safe to wear sterling silver in water, but it is the elements in water that you need to worry about because these are the components that will affect the appearance of the sterling silver.
Different water types and conditions will affect the sterling silver differently, which is why you need to be extra careful when wearing sterling silver in water. You guys can find reasons in the section below.
Can you wear sterling silver in the water? Why?
With some people noting that they can wear their sterling silver in water without experiencing any issues whatsoever, and others having tarnished sterling silver after a few attempts of having the jewelry on, it is quite clear that the quality of the water that the sterling silver jewelry is exposed to matters a great deal.
There are different types of water, hence different results, and there’s also the fact that different metal compositions and gemstones will react differently depending on the chemicals present in water.
For sterling silver that isn’t rhodium-plated and is free of gemstones, you will be relieved to know that exposure to water and soap, for example, when you are washing your hands or taking a shower, will not affect the integrity of sterling silver.
However, exposing sterling silver to the chlorinated water in the swimming pool is not the best move, and the chlorine in the water will cause the likely darkening of the sterling silver.
Note that the level of damage to the sterling silver is very much affected by the duration the sterling silver is exposed to the chlorinated water and the concentration of chlorine.
The good news is that the darkening is more of a superficial patina, and you will have your shiny sterling silver ring back after you polish it with a cream or a cloth.
However, the temporary nature of the patina isn’t enough reason for you to wear the sterling silver jewelry in the pool all the time – chlorine will degrade the sterling silver over time, meaning that your ring/ necklace will be safer and it will last longer if you don’t wear it to the pool.
Hot Tub/ Jacuzzi – exposing your sterling silver ring or necklace to jot and the heavily chlorinated water in the spa or the Jacuzzi might not be the best thing to do, and it will cause darkening of the sterling silver. These conditions will also result in damage to the sterling silver. To protect your jewelry, don’t wear it in the hot tub or Jacuzzi.
Saltwater – no, you cannot wear sterling silver in saltwater or the ocean. The salt in the water will corrode the silver, resulting in the darkening and dulling of the ring after. There is also a high risk of losing your jewelry in the ocean.
Here, our team wrote an ultimate guide on what jewelry you can wear in the water. Read here for more information.
Can you wear sterling silver in the pool? Why?
As mentioned above, you shouldn’t wear sterling silver in the swimming pool because of exposure to chlorine in the pool water.
Chlorine reacts with sterling silver to form a dark patina.
Although you can polish the patina away, constant polishing will mean thinning of the sterling silver after some time.
So, you should avoid wearing sterling silver rings in the swilling pool to protect it.
Can you wash hands with a sterling silver ring? Why?
Yes, you can wash your hands with your sterling silver ring on.
Water and soap is very safe on jewelry, and you’d only have a cause for concern if the ring has gemstones and fine detailing.
Delicate details mean soap buildup, which might call for soft brushing after some time. However, the sterling silver ring is safe during handwashing.
Can you wear sterling silver every day? Why?
Yes, sterling silver is one of the best jewelry metals for everyday wear. Besides being a trendy metal design that allows you to wear different jewelry styles effortlessly, it’s safe on the skin (make sure that the sterling silver metal alloy is nickel-free), and most importantly, the maintenance of sterling silver jewelry is easy and affordable.
Sterling silver is resistant to rust and corrosion, and the only thing you’d have to worry about is the jewelry tarnishing, which isn’t such a big deal because you can wipe away or clean your jewelry piece and the tarnish/ patina layer will disappear.
The other reason why sterling silver is the ideal everyday wear jewelry is that your lotions and the body oils that you apply on your skin rub on the metal regularly, keeping the sterling silver shiny all the time.
You may also like wearing sterling silver jewelry daily because it creates an effortless trademark look, and you can wear it day in, day out, without worrying about having the ring or necklace on too much. And if you are lazy like some of us, you will get away with sleeping in your sterling silver jewelry.
Conclusion
Sterling silver jewelry is the most versatile jewelry metals. It offers a high level of freedom, it’s safe on the skin, and you can have it on pretty much every day.
Just be careful to keep it away from hot water, Jacuzzis, the swimming pool, and salty ocean water. For more tips, please visit here or visit this page for more.
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.