“I never take it off” is a phrase we frequently hear in the jewelry business and we have two reactions. One is “AWWWWW. That’s so sweet." We love the fact that jewelry is so meaningful. And then when we hear the stories behind the jewelry, it melts our heart. We get to consult with customers every day and help them chose jewelry that will become heirlooms one day which encourages and ignites our passion. We love helping our customers acquire a jewelry wardrobe of items that get mixed in for certain outfits, speial occasions and events, making accessorizing fun and glamourous. We know that heirloom jewelry with special meaning can help us hold onto a memory of a loved one. There is another side to this however. When we hear someone say they never take it off, it makes us grimice a litte. Wearing something everyday is great, but never taking it off is not so great. Here are some of the concerns with “never taking it off” and 6 times that you should take your jewelry off.
1. Sleeping-
Safety is the first concern. “Never taking it off” can lead to “Can’t take it off.” Did you know that our fingers can change size up to an entire finger size throughout the day? This happens especially at night when our bodies are retaining water. Our finger’s size is changing while the ring’s size is not changing. Then one day, it won't come off. Almost every day, we have to cut rings off a customer. If we are lucky, the person isn’t in pain already. But, usually they are panicking. The ring can feel fine for years and then all of sudden a bug bite or impact causes swelling of the finger and they can't get the ring off. Cutting a ring off can be a huge relief but this is a horrible way for a ring to come off. It’s not good for the ring’s sizing area or for the top of the ring either. The cut is done with a saw blade that protects the finger. Then pliers pull the ring apart bending the ring. The good news is that we have fantastic jewelers that can usually put it all back together and make it brand new again. However, this is an expensive repair charge. So for the health of the person and the ring, take your rings off nightly to sleep, making sure you can remove your ring and get it back on easily while your finger adjusts to it’s true size overnight.
Taking your jewelry off and placing it on your bedside table is fine but we recommend storing your jewelry in a jewelry box. We love the Wolf Designs Palermo jewelry box for anyone with a decent size jewelry collection. This also protects it from dust in the air settling on the jewelry and the fabric is treated with Wolf Design's patented Lusterloc technology which protects your jewelry from tarnishing.
Palermo Large Jewelry Box $569 or 4 interest-free payments of $142.25
2. Chores-
Many people have told us that they keep their jewelry on during yard work and housework. Yark work tools can scratch and damage jewelry, even if wearing gloves. It’s also a prime time for bug bites that cause swelling which lead to rings getting stuck. Housework involves chemicals that can be harsh on jewelry along with the possibility of scratching and knocking prongs. We have also heard numerous horror stories of rings falling off while washing dishes and getting lost down the drain!
We know some of this can't be controlled which is why we offer the Preferred warranty. The Preferred warranty is the only FREE nationwide warranty and it comes with most of our diamond purchases at no additional charge. Click here to learn more about our Preferred warranty!
3. Exercising-
At the gym, weights can bend and break jewelry over time or all of a sudden. Pressure on a ring can cause a ring to dent or even break at the bottom of the shank. Be safe and put your jewelry in a secure pouch on your person while at the gym. If you do wear your rings while lifting, just realize that you are probably going to have issues.
We recommend the Wolf Designs Palermo Jewelry Roll as it has a spot for all types of jewelry and looks just like a clutch bag. This easily fits in any gym bag or purse. The fabric inside is treated with Wolf Design's patented Lusterloc technology to keep your jewelry from tarnishing as well!
Palermo Jewelry Roll $165 or 4 interest-free payments of $41.25
4. Showering/Bathing- If you sleep in your jewelry then you probably also shower or bathe in your jewelry as well. Your jewelry probably won't be damaged from doing this but it will cause it to lose it's luster. Not only do water and soap scum cause sterling silver jewelry to tarnish, but soap scum actually sticks to the stones in your jewelry causing them to look cloudy and lifeless. When soap scum dries, it can be extra challenging to remove. You will most likely need a professional cleaning to completely remove soap scum buildup. But no worries, we offer a service called a Spa Treatment and it's exactly what it sounds like. Your jewelry will enjoy a long soak in our professional grade ultrasonic cleaner, then it will be massaged by our polishing wheel to remove any surface scratches. Next it will be rhodium plated, if it's white gold, to make it bright white again. And last but not least, it will get a blast from our steam cleaner to get out any remaining and stubborn dirt particles. Click here to learn more about the repair services that we offer.
5. Swimming- We know that you want to flex your jewelry collection while hanging poolside with a margarita in hand, but we really don't recommend this for your jewelry. First of all, pools usually contain chemicals that are harmful to your jewelry. Did you know that 14 karat gold is actually made up of only 58.8% actual gold? The remaining 41.5% is made up of other alloys like nickel, zinc, copper or silver. Chlorine won't hurt the gold itself but it will strip the other alloys that are added to the metal. This causes porosity in the jewelry which basically looks like little pot holes in the metal when you look at it close up. This makes your jewelry very brittle and causes it to break more easily. Once your jewelry has porosity, there really is no easy way to fix this and you will continue to need repair work. If you learned this lesson a little too late, no worries! This is why we offer our trade-in program. We take all kinds of gold and diamond jewelry in all conditions that you can trade-in towards a new piece in our store! Click here to learn more about our trade-in program.
6.. Jewelry Check-ups-
A ring that stays on all the time isn’t getting its regular check-ups. Yes your jewelry needs check-ups just like you do! Wear and tear happens. And a ring that is on 24/7/365 is getting a double dose of it. It will save you a lot of money if you catch issues with your jewelry early on. For example, we may notice that the stones are loose in your ring and we can easily tighten them or rebuild a prong at that time. If we didn't catch this early enough, it can lead to you losing a stone which can be a costly repair charge. We are so passionate about our customers getting regular 6 month check-ups on their jewelry, that we offer this service for FREE. We offer free check-ups on all jewelry whether or not it was purchased from Kiefer Jewelers as well. You don't need an appointment for a free check-up but we recommend making an appointment, click here to make an appointment.
Last but not least, if your jewelry is always on, and not getting inspections, then it’s probably not getting cleaned. One thing we don’t like to see is dirty jewelry. You are missing out on the reason someone gifted it to you in the first place. You can keep your jewelry clean, between professional cleanings, by taking it off at night and soaking it in some jewelry cleaner before bed. This will keep it shining and sparkling. You will probably get more compliments on it and that will make you smile everytime you see it glisten again. We recommend our mini ultrasonic cleaner for at home cleanings. This can easily be placed next to the sink in your bathroom or on your dresser. It comes with a special jewelry cleaning solution and the a tiny brush for scrubbing any stubborn dirt out. The machine gently warms and adds vibration to the solution to shake out any dirt.
Mini Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner $99 or 4 interest-free payments of $24.75
While the phrase “I never take it off” is a beautiful sentiment, we’d love for more people to see that the best thing is to “take it off” for good reason, at times. Then, let’s start saying “I wear it every day!” instead.