Jewelry lives everyday life with us, and most handmade pieces — especially the kind I make — are meant to be worn often, not saved for special occasions.
Over time, normal habits affect how jewelry holds up. The good news is that it usually isn’t one big mistake that causes jewelry wear and tear — it’s small repeated things. And just as small habits can wear jewelry down, small everyday care habits can help make jewelry last longer. Often for many years.
The Biggest Cause of Jewelry Wear and Tear:
The two biggest causes of everyday wear are simple:
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Friction
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Water and chemicals
Friction
One of the biggest factors causing jewelry wear and tear is friction. Friction happens anytime your jewelry rubs against another surface. This could be resting your wrist and bracelet on the desk, reaching into a bags, bracelet stacks rubbing against each other and one of the biggest culprits of this I see. Sleeping in your jewelry.
Obviously, some of this can’t be avoided. You have to reach in bags sometimes. You have to type on a computer sometimes. But there are some best practices that can be done to diminish damage from friction. One thing you can do is make sure your jewelry fits correctly so it doesn't dangle as much and if there’s one habit that makes the biggest difference, it’s removing jewelry before sleep.
Water & Chemicals
The other major thing that causes jewelry wear and tear is water and chemicals. Occasional water exposure is fine. For example, if you are washing your hands and a bit of water gets on your bracelet, that’s fine. Just dry it gently afterward.
. But just know that, repeated exposure causes wear so doing this every day for a year might discolor it, and cause it to break down.. The major thing that will accelerate this is soaps, lotions and cleaners.
To prolong the longevity of your jewelry, it's best to remove your jewelry during showering and bathing, pools and hot tubs, cleaning, and applying lotions and perfumes, while working out.
Wire-Wrapped Jewelry Care
Now, all the stuff that we have talked about before in this post apply to wire wrapped jewelry but their are a few things to remember about wire wrapped jewelry specifically.
Wire naturally hardens over time. Occasional movement is normal, but repeated bending in the same spot gradually weakens it. Try to avoid twisting or fidgeting with pendants so the structure stays strong.
Storage Matters More Than Cleaning
Storage is incredibly important. Actually more than cleaning. Here are a few simple do’s and don’ts:
Do
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separate pieces to avoid them laying on top of each other ( this avoids tangling of chains, etc and friction)
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Storing in a cool, dry place
Don’t
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Storing it all in large tangled piles.
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Storing in humidity exposes your piece to moisture, causing rust and tarnish
Cleaning Without Shortening Lifespan
There are multiple things that can be done to clean your jewelry gently, prevent tarnish, restore shine and maintain the longevity of your jewelry. Firstly, if you wanna increase the longevity of your jewelry, you should really get a soft cleaning cloth and gently wipe it off after every time you wear it. This cleans off any sweat, makeup, lotion, perfume, etc.
As far as cleaners, make sure you buy things that are gentle and always follow the cleaner’s instructions so the materials aren’t affected.
. Leaving the jewelry in the cleaner or using cleaner that isn't for that specific material can damage your jewelry.
Let Jewelry Rest
Something else that can help is to rotate pieces. Daily favorites need breaks. It just like anything else. The more you use something. The faster it's gonna wear out. For best longevity. Rotating pieces occasionally gives your favorites a chance to rest and helps them stay in good condition longer.
. Try to inspect your jewelry every time you wear it, Catching wear early helps longevity.
“Last on, First off” Rule
Something to remember is the “last on, first off” rule. This means that your jewelry should be the last thing you put on in the morning. After you shower, putting on lotion, putting on perfume, getting dressed, doing makeup, doing hair. Sunscreen. Do all of that and then put on jewelry to avoid it getting snagged on something, wet, or getting something else on it. Then you want to remove the jewelry at the end of the day first before you do anything else. Include sleep. NEVER SLEEP IN JEWELRY! This is because as I said before, we wanna reduce friction and avoid bending the wire.
Closing
It is very important to remember that handmade jewelry is not indestructible. But with some mindful wear and a few simple considerations, handmade jewelry can last years. As long as you just avoid water on it, avoid friction, and do not pick at or pull it.
If you have any questions as always, you can leave a comment or email me at simplyrusticjewelry@gmail.com. Check out my last post if you need any help sizing your jewelry. And check out amazon for any of the tools that I recommend. I hope you all have a great rest of you day and I'll see you all next time. bye :)
