When you have a piece of jewelry that is dear to your heart or looks great on you, you do not want to ever take it off. I am sure you know that feeling. We all do.
However, not all jewelry can be worn all the time.
Depending on the material it is made of, some jewelry can change color, rust, tarnish, leave marks on your skin, or even cause irritation in certain conditions.
Most often, problems with jewelry occur in water. So, today, I’ll answer a frequent question: Can you shower with sterling silver?
Stay with me to find out if sterling silver is waterproof or not and if you can wear it every day.
Is Sterling Silver Waterproof: Can You Shower With Sterling Silver?
Sterling silver does not react or corrode when exposed to water. Therefore, it is safe to shower with sterling silver. It does not get damaged by water alone.
Yet, even though sterling silver is not generally damaged by water, it does oxidize more quickly when it is wet. Therefore, if frequently exposed to water, your silver might darken.
The type of water you expose the sterling silver to has a great impact on what happens to it.
The chemical composition of the water will dictate how much and how quickly sterling silver changes color.
Can You Shower With Sterling Silver Earrings?
It is safe to shower with your sterling silver earrings. Shower water is generally ok since there are no harsh chemicals in our tap water.
Quite the opposite, tap water and soap help clean the damaging residue from your skin (perfume, body lotion, impurities in the air) that might cause your sterling silver jewelry to look dull.
Hence, your earrings might even look better when you wash them in tap water from time to time.
Can You Shower With Gold Plated Sterling Silver?
You should never shower with gold-plated sterling silver jewelry, since water can cause the thin gold plating layer to wear off more quickly.
If you want to prolong the life of your gold-plated jewelry, you should best refrain from exposing it to any type of water.
Gold-plated sterling silver is generally very sensitive and can easily change its color if the gold layer rubs off the silver base metal.
It requires special care to avoid flaking off and losing its luster.
Can You Wear Sterling Silver In the Pool?
Pool water is not good for sterling silver. The water in the swimming pools is always treated with chlorine for hygienic purposes.
Unfortunately, chlorine reacts with sterling silver and causes it to change its color and lose its shine more quickly.
Hence, if you spend a lot of time in the pool, you’ll have to spend a lot of time cleaning your silver jewelry, too.
Hot tubs are even worse than pools. The water in the hot tubs contains even more chlorine, plus it’s hot.
Silver and chlorine react much quicker at high temperatures. It would thus be best to remove your sterling silver jewelry before you relax in a hot tub.
Can You Wear Sterling Silver When Swimming In the Sea?
You should best take off your sterling silver before swimming in the sea. Salt water is more corrosive than tap water and can leave residue on your jewelry.
If you forget to remove your silver jewelry, and you go for a swim, at least rinse it off with clean water as soon as you get out of the water.
In order not to forget, think about this: to sharks, your flashing silver jewelry looks like shiny fish scales. Hence, you might draw their attention and get eaten.
Isn’t it better to avoid such risk and take a few seconds to remove your sterling silver?
Can You Wear Sterling Silver In a Hot Spring?
You should never wear sterling silver jewelry when bathing in a hot spring. Hot springs contain different minerals that can react with silver and cause it to oxidize and change its color.
The high temperature speeds up the undesirable reaction, too.
Many hot springs contain sulfur, which is particularly harmful to silver. Even jewelers resort to Sulfuric acid when they want to intentionally oxidize sterling silver jewelry.
Does Sterling Silver Change Colors?
Even though pure silver does not tarnish at room temperature, sterling silver contains other metals that might change color in time.
For example, copper reacts with the salt and sulfur in the air and can make your sterling silver jewelry take on a yellow or black tint.
So, does sterling silver rust in water?
Sterling silver does not rust, but it might tarnish. It can happen due to chemicals in the water or exposure to gases containing sulfur.
The process of oxidation causes the formation of the black layer over the silver jewelry surface. It is not rust, though.
The good news is that most color changes occurring to your sterling silver can be removed by cleaning it at home.
If that does not work, you can always have your silver jewelry cleaned professionally.
Final Words: Can You Wear Sterling Silver Every Day?
You should wear sterling silver every day. The oils from your skin actually help it stay clean.
As far as the water exposure is concerned, the bottom line is: water does not damage your sterling silver, but the chemical in the water can cause it to change color.
It is thus perfectly safe to shower with your sterling silver jewelry. Pool water and saltwater are more risky, though, and should be avoided.
No matter what you do, your sterling silver will change color over time.
You can just slow down the process by treating it with care and avoiding exposing it to chemicals. So, enjoy its beauty as much as you can! Nothing lasts forever.
Hope this helps! Share the article and help me help others, too. Feel free to comment and ask any questions.
