Hmmm, no! Your jewelry will not get sick with Covid, but you could if you don’t keep it clean!

By now, we all are some sort of “expert” in the Covid-19 topic and most of us know that we have to wash our hands at least the same amount of times we check our Instagram account.  Also, the virus lasts longer on hard surfaces like glass, plastic and metals, than on fabrics or cardboard, and up to nine days on metals! Nine days!  That's much longer than my monthly diets!   So let’s talk about keeping “our favorite metals” shiny and healthy.

First, in order to be effective, hand sanitizer needs to have at least 62% alcohol content so you can start by leaving behind that cute tiny glittery sanitizer home – I’m going to miss that smell though! 

Second, the best way to keep your skin and rings clean is to wash your hands (not removing your rings) for at least 20 seconds.  That’s about the time that it takes for the soap to break down the walls of most germs and bacteria.   Personally, I’m not a big fan of taking off my rings and putting them on the side of the faucet, particularly in public bathrooms, because it’s not the most trusted environment and you can easily lose them / forget them.  If you do need to rinse off the excess soap, just be careful so they don’t go down the drain and force you to call a plumber in panic mode!

Another tip since sometimes the only option to keep your hands is alcohol based sanitizer; try to avoid doing so with your most porous stone rings such as coral, opals, or even emeralds -- and definitely don’t be pouring hand sanitizer on that pearl ring passed on by grandma!

The same principle applies with bracelets.  Now remember, I’m talking about everyday jewelry since the correct way to sneeze is on your arm or elbow, guess what happens to your bracelets or that awesome leather strap watch you love so much?   Yuck!  Therefore, and at least for now, opt for hand jewelry that you can clean often and that includes avoiding plated jewelry and fabric or leather pieces, since you can’t really wash the leather and plated jewelry and alcohol don’t go well hand to hand.  Don't worry, you can still wear your Lulu Hoops!

When you are home, if you think your jewelry was exposed to public areas, or surfaces, make sure you clean it, a minute or two on your Ultrasonic, or with soapy water and a gentle brush will do as well.  Don’t forget to dry them with a soft cloth.

There are gentle jewelry cleaning formulas for stones like pearls, emeralds, and opals, it works for Rodium and plated jewelry too.  We use commercial grade cleaners, but for personal use you can look for non-ammoniated or gentle jewelry cleaner formulas and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.  Amazon has several for under 20 bucks.

Lastly, at Oro By Lu we are preparing all of our fine jewelry with ultrasonic cleaner use after every jewelry showing or trunk show, and will request our clients to use hand sanitizer before trying on our pieces.   We make sure to wear a mask and gloves particularly when handling finished jewelry and we are taking all the necessary precautions so our orders are shipped safely and sanitized.  Encourage your jeweler to do the same and don’t be shy about rocking your jewelry again, just pamper it a bit more for now!

Feel free to send us your comments or suggestions about this blog or other topics related to jewelry or fashion that you would like us to talk about.