Myth or Legend? - 'Waterproof & tarnish free' jewellery

Waterproof & tarnish free jewellery are being highly marketed online recently and I really wanted to investigate this interesting claim.

I have worked in retail jewellery for over ten years and I saw many customers return with jewellery that had been sprayed with perfume, fake tan, worn while swimming in pools or the sea & much more, all resulting in highly dull, tarnished or even green jewellery.

This is because metals react with exposure to chemicals, water, our skin & even the air around us. This is why I highly recommend storing your jewellery correctly & removing it. It should be the last thing you put on and the first thing you take off.

So the claims of ‘waterproof’ & ‘tarnish’ free jewellery really caught my interest, so I did some research.

Truth is jewellery is NOT waterproof. Gold & platinum are naturally waterproof but when exposed to water or chemicals they will still tarnish. To which I discovered most of the brands selling ‘waterproof’ or ‘tarnish’ free jewellery is actually plated alloys. This plating will eventually wear off (as any plating does, like rhodium on white gold) exposing the inexpensive alloys. Resulting in you being left with a very basic metal which many people are allergic too.

On further inspection, most brands actually explain this in the small print and it is also advised the ‘waterproof’ jewellery should not be worn in water containing chemicals or salt water. The last time I checked, even our tap water contains chemicals…..

Therefore, I call it a Misleading MYTH!

Please look at the small print of what you are buying when it comes to jewellery, if it seems to good to be true, question it, research & make sure it’s fit for the purpose you want it for. If you want it to last forever, don’t buy plated alloys, save up & invest in a precious metal like silver, gold or platinum.

Until Next time,

Sian