Question
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Hey, i was wondering; i saw one of your older answers about a guy named Don's ring and i was intrigued, but my case is slightly different. I am planning on getting a $425.00 necklace with awesome designs and was wondering, if i want to pass this necklace down to my kids and so on... would my descendants be unhappy with great great grand pa's necklace? also i am a lifeguard at an indoor pool (working with many chemicals), I'm just an ignorant kid to this stuff so please HELP ME.
AnswerAdam, pool chemicals can be quite destructive to jewelry.
What happens is that with some jewelry metals like sterling and some gold items, the chemicals can definitely tarnish the metal. Silver is the most easily affected.
The gold including 18k may not tarnish at all but can be damaged. The damage is microscopic, a sort of corrosion which causes some of the other metals in the gold recipe to change position and erode away. You may see no damage at all, even for the life of the item. Then again, any stress or force on the jewelry can reveal the corrosion and pieces can literally fall off or out. The corrosion will affect all the gold but damage will show where there is stress, previous stress or future stress.
Stress is simply a force on the metal which tends to harden the metal. An example of stress on metal is seen by taking a wire coat hanger and bending it back and forth. The bend may actually warm up a bit from the forcing of metal to move. Keep going and the metal reaches a limit and breaks. The stress we normally see in jewelry is not this bending back and forth but a bend or shape formed with a pressure and force on the metal. There is not enough to break anything but there is enough force to shape the metal and leave stress in the metal. You could bend the coat hanger a few times, bend it back into shape and put it down. It has not broken but the stress in the metal is there. It is areas where stress happens in gold which will show damage from the corrosion.
Although 18k is somewhat less likely to be damaged than lower karats, it can happen and I suggest not taking the chance. Sure, you would maybe like for your friends at the pool see your necklace. Your choice is to get it in the pool or not. I suggest not, unless of course you really have to do that to assist someone in the water and then there is no choice.
The 18k should be fine for many, many years. Just take care of it, avoiding abrasive stuff like rolling in the sand or chemicals like in pools. Once in a while take it to a jeweler for a good professional cleaning and a check of everything.
Thanks for the fine photo. This is a stunning piece and I can certainly see why you like it.
Best wishes, Adam. God Bless and Peace. Thomas.
