Must-Wear Jewelry

[Misery_Loves_Co]

I’ve gone through the great google machine and have not been able to find an answer to this question:

Do certain organic jewels (pearls, coral) have to be worn lest they “die”?

My family has long been collectors of coral, and I’ve heard it said again and again that “Coral’s got to be worn: if you don’t, it’ll die”. This knowledge is “supported” by anecdotal experiences: E.G. one of my relatives claimed that her string of coral beads lost all its color when left unworn for a long period of time. . .

I’ve also heard this said of pearls.

However, I haven’t been able to find ANY mention of this on the web. I would think that if it was truly necessary for coral or pearls be in frequent contact with the warmth and oils of skin, that it would be part of the “Standard Care” of said items, and that enterprising chemists would have figured out ways to simulate that environment.

Certainly, there are coral figurines in museums that were crafted centuries ago, and I have difficulty imagining a docent treating one like a worry-stone in order to make sure it doesn’t lose its color. . .

So what’s the dope? Anyone around here heard of this? Anyone here know whether coral and pearls can lose their color/lustre/value if not worn, and why?

[Kimstu]

Organic gems like coral and pearl are susceptible to cracking or crazing from prolonged exposure to dry air. So probably the recommendation to wear them regularly is just to ensure that they get exposed to enough humidity. Coral figurines in climate-controlled museum cases would be at less risk.

From a jewelry care site:

Don’t store jewelry in plastic bags. Some plastics emit vapors that can pit and
discolor metal and corrode the surface of pearls and certain other gems.

Opals, amber, and pearls and other organic gems should not be put in long-term
storage in a safe deposit box, because the dry air there can cause them to crack or
craze.

Opals should not be stored at freezing temperatures because they may craze.
Opals should not be subjected to rapid changes in temperature.

I have no idea what would have caused your relative’s coral beads to “lose all their color”, though. Maybe she stored them in a plastic bag?

In any case, there is nothing literally alive about pearls or coral in jewelry, so they can’t “die”.

[Misery_Loves_Co]

@Kimstu

Organic gems like coral and pearl are susceptible to cracking or crazing from prolonged exposure to dry air. So probably the recommendation to wear them regularly is just to ensure that they get exposed to enough humidity. Coral figurines in climate-controlled museum cases would be at less risk.

From a jewelry care site:

I have no idea what would have caused your relative’s coral beads to “lose all their color”, though. Maybe she stored them in a plastic bag?

In any case, there is nothing literally alive about pearls or coral in jewelry, so they can’t “die”.

Thanks for the reply!

I know there’s nothing alive, that’s why I put “die” in quotes - it’s just the way it’s always been referred to in my family. I can buy the humidity argument - particularly since body oils’d tend to help keep them “moist” (ewwwwwww). One thing I was thinking is perhaps my relative has a high pH, or perhaps the coral got in contact with some chemical cleaner, since I’ve seen info on the web about cleaners causing discoloration. Plastic vapors are a reasonable guess, too.

Anyone else heard anything about pearls or coral “dying”?

[Gary_Robson]

@Misery Loves Co.

My family has long been collectors of coral, and I’ve heard it said again and again that “Coral’s got to be worn: if you don’t, it’ll die”.

The coral you’re wearing is already dead. Well, sort of. The organisms that create the coral are dead, and the stuff the jewelry is made from never was actually alive.

There’s nothing magical about wearing it. Keeping it in an appropriate environment is all that’s required.

[Misery_Loves_Co]

Thanks IW.

Let me start over. . .

I know that something like coral cannot actually die, since it isn’t alive. However, there are people in the world who, as a short hand expression, refer to pearls or coral “dying”. This is undoubtedly a figurative usage of the word. If I crash my car into an embankment at 100 MPH the car will be referred to (however factually misleading) as “dead”, while I will be (if lucky) dead. The word is also used poetically: “dying daylight”, “dying fire”, or to extend the metaphor, the “light dying in one’s eyes”. All of which have nothing to do with the final biological process but are apt figurative descriptions.

1.) Given: the word “dying” is being used in a figurative, not literal sense. I’m wondering if anyone (besides my family) has ever heard that particular word used to describe some kind of damage that might be incurred by organic jewelry if it is not subjected to the correct conditions. I.E. - has anyone ever heard of this myth/legend/rumor/fact before?

This question can be miscontrued as: “is this a fact?” but the question I’m asking at face value: “Have you heard of this?”

2.) Does anyone have any notion of what “dying” might refer to? Could it, as a family member believes (owing to her personal experience), refer to discoloration of the jewelry? Or it is likelier to refer to the crazing/cracking that happens if coral is not maintained in a suitably humid environment - as Kimtsu suggests (thanks again).

3.) I’ve found some generic information about this on the web to the effect that it’s soft (scratches easily), can shatter if you try to clean it with an ultrasonic method, is vulnerable to some solvents, and (thanks to Kimstu) is susceptible to dry conditions. Is there any special care required of coral because of it’s organic origins?

3.) Melding the questions together: Is there special care required for coral jewelry that could be handled merely by wearing it fairly frequently, and would that care prevent it from becoming damaged in a way that might figuratively be described as “dying”?

I hope I’m being precise, if not clear in my question - and that I’m not under the impression that coral jewelry is alive. If that were the case, I think my first question would have to be “do I need to litter train it?”

The going theory is that “humidity” is the special environment required by coral that has a negative result if not present, and can often be provided merely by wearing the stuff.

[Zsofia]

I’ve always heard that you have to wear your pearls every so often to get the oils on your skin; that if you leave them in your safety deposit box for years they’ll turn to dust. Source: years and years of advice.

[Snickers]

I’ve heard that you should wear pearls often to get the oils from your skin onto the pearls (not to get their oils on you); apparently it contributes to their lustre and makes them more beautiful. Presumably, that might lead one to believe that the opposite is also true: that not wearing pearls may make them dull. Whether that’s actually true or not, I have no idea. I’ve never heard of pearls turning to dust however.

[YaWanna]

I have read in a book on jewelry (I can’t quote the name), and have also been told by reputable jewelers, that the oil on your skin is, in fact, not good for the pearls, and that you should always wipe them down with a soft cloth after wearing, to remove the oils (and any makeup, perfume, etc., you may have been wearing). Because pearls do have a certain moisture content to them, some recommend that you use a moist (not soaking wet) cloth - you don’t want to get the string (on necklaces & bracelets, anyway) wet it possible.

[YaWanna]

Sorry for the typo - that should read “if possible.”