I have a customer who is asking me what jewellery she can buy that
doesn’t change when exposed to chlorine in pools. (She developed and
teaches exercise classes in pools for people with Fibromyalgia.) Any
suggestions?
Marilyn Gardiner
Uh, Platinum?
That’s why they use it in many laboratory applications.
Platinum of course is inert to the chlorine in pools. So is most
palladium jewelry (the caveat would be if it’s assembled with white
gold solder)
Silver won’t be structurally harmed, but will have it’s surface
finish damaged. White golds, especially nickel based white golds,
should be avoided. But higher karat palladium white golds are
probably OK. So would be higher karat yellow golds. These last would
be OK in that they aren’t prone to the stress cracking problems of
nickel white golds. There might, over time, be some tarnishing or
finish issues, but those would be tolerable I’d think.
And then there’s stainless steel, which also won’t mind the chlorine
at all.
However, with all of these, there’s the issue of whether jewelry of
any sort should be worn in the pool. Cold water lubricating and
shriveling fingers equals loose rings that can slip off, or other
situations where it might be more easy to lose or damage the jewelry.
My opinion would be that people would be well advised to simply leave
their jewelry off while in the pool. Or the ocean, lakes, or streams
for that matter. And while digging in the garden too, while we’re at
it. Some activities simply don’t require high fashion costly
decoration…
Peter Rowe
Hi Marilyn:
Titanium should be pretty inert. Same for Niobium or Tantalum.
Regards,
Brian.
Some activities simply don't require high fashion costly decoration...
No they don’t - but that isn’t why most of the women who keep their
rings on for them do so. My husband gave me all but one of the 5
rings I wear 24/7, and each one was given with special meaning - and
I wear it remembering that. And yes, I wear them 24/7 - swimming,
ocean, river, garden, cooking, working, playing, whatever. Diamonds,
emeralds, and all… And they are fine. The oldest is over 30 years
now, and started as an emerald single stone ring, redone with added
diamonds in honor of our daughter’s birth (she is almost 19 now!).
They are sterling, yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold. I do have
the prongs retipped regularly, but I consider that just standard
care, like oil change for my car.
It has nothing to do with high fashion at all. Just sentiment. Which
is, after all, a lot of what we are selling, isn’t it?
Beth Wicker
Three Cats and a Dog Design Studio
http://www.bethwicker.etsy.com
http://bethwicker.ganoksin.com/blogs/