Jewelry can hide dangerous microbes or viruses. Another good reason why jewelry needs cleaning. This was confirmed by a scientific research by the National Institutes of Health ♦ ︎
Periodic cleaning of the jewelry is necessary. And not only because the jewels get dirty, they are covered with a patina that hides the reflections of metal and stones, and makes it less beautiful. Another good reason to clean jewels is also because enemies can nest inside them: microbes, bacteria, viruses (unfortunately a topical topic) and even harmful substances that can creep into the frames or between the cracks in the metal. This, of course, is especially true for rings, in particular for large and composite ones with many elements or with small empty spaces, as happens in engraved metal: hands can come into contact with objects that hide these bio dangers.
In jewelry these harmful elements can hide for a long time, also because many women often take off their rings before washing their hands and, therefore, do not eliminate the bacteria that have infiltrated the jewelry. Moreover, sometimes the jewels are delicate, for example, they are composed with pearls or stones such as opal, which is easily damaged. This is why it is easy to fall into the temptation to never clean the jewels.
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The hidden enemies. But it’s not just the rings that potentially become biological bombs. Even a necklace or bracelet can be in contact with bacteria or unhealthy materials, which find refuge in some small space of the jewel. Don’t believe it? Instead it is: some time ago in the United States an experiment was conducted that proves the dangers that can be hidden in rings that are not cleaned frequently. The goal of the research, conducted by the National Institutes of Health, was to verify whether anesthesiologists and surgeons could infect patients in the operating room with their wedding rings. Ten surgeons and ten anesthetists participated in the screening. The rings were removed at the end of the day, and their inner circumference was swabbed, then placed in a culture medium. Result: Staphylococci were cultured in all. A surgeon developed coagulase-negative staphylococci from annular swab. But the bacteria were eliminated after a thorough cleaning of the hands and ring.
Metals nicked. In addition to becoming dangerous to health, if not cleaned, jewels can be damaged in the long run: sweat, skin acid, cosmetics and dust end up attacking metals and stones or, at least, ruining the shiny patina that covers them. Softer stones, such as opals, can also be severely damaged. So, don’t forget to wash your jewelry at least every now and then.
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