The beach is one of the most dangerous locations to bring your precious belongings, especially jewelry. Between the swarms of people, the salty seawater, the coarse sand, and the threat of sunblock, there are many ways to destroy or lose your shiny baubles. As the waters warm up for the summer and the beaches repopulate, keep these reasons you should not wear your jewelry to the beach in mind.
Since you’re out on the beach to have a good time, it’s easy to let your guard down as you relax in the sun or walk away from your belongings. With how many people are out on a public beach at any given time, someone with sticky fingers can reach into your unsecured belongings and grab what they want—or grab the entire bag. Keeping your jewelry in your bag can mean bad news for your most sentimental accessories. If you’re not nearby or not paying attention, you may not have any idea who took your stuff.
The dangers of the beach don’t stop at the shoreline—the water holds more danger to your jewelry than you may realize. Saltwater is inherently corrosive to metal, especially copper. Any precious metal-plated jewelry, such as gold or silver-plated items or rose-gold jewelry, will corrode when you expose it to seawater. Pure platinum, gold, and silver will survive exposure to some seawater, but over time, will corrode. Don’t bring any jewelry with turquoise, wood, or coral into the water—it will rot.
Though the sand might feel soft and warm on your feet, it’s anything but soft to your jewelry. The particles of quartz that make up sand will scratch softer gemstones, including other quartzes such as amethyst and citrine, jade, or opal.
If your jewelry isn’t pure gold, platinum, or silver, but instead plated gold, platinum, or silver, the sand can scratch away at the thin layer coating your jewelry and cause damage.
Sunscreen has its place almost anywhere when you venture outdoors, but especially when you’re exposing your entire body to the sun at the beach. Precious metals and sunscreen don’t mix—you’ll find your jewelry has a sticky film of residue after enough time on your sunscreen-covered skin. The film dulls your precious metal and gemstones and can creep into any crevices and cause corrosion if left uncleaned.
When you head to the beach, the best option for your precious jewelry is to leave it at home or in your hotel room. In addition to the many reasons you should not wear your jewelry to the beach, the consequences of losing your jewelry could be permanent—the beach and the ocean are large places, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll ever see a lost ring again. If you must bring jewelry to the beach with you, keep it protected in a LoveLocker travel ring holder instead of a clear bag or wallet. The protective case keeps water and sand out while you relax in the summer sun.
