Whether you’ve been jet-setting with your jewelry for years now or are heading off to your honeymoon, it’s important to keep your jewelry clean and in good shape. After all, you’ve invested in your pieces, so why not maximize their lifespan? It’s simpler than you might think!
First Things First: Should You Travel with Jewelry?
We get it — you want to look your best while traveling. That’s likely to be an even bigger deal if you’re heading out on your honeymoon or other romantic trip. That being said, there’s good reason to leave the jewelry at home or swap your regular ring out for some fun-colored silicone rings instead.
Look, the unfortunate reality is that traveling with jewelry isn’t always a good choice. If you’re just taking a short-hop flight from one U.S. city to another, this isn’t as big of a deal, though you should still be smart with what you bring. If you’re traveling internationally, though, it’s not always the best idea to bring your jewelry with you.
While the likelihood that you get your jewelry stolen is low, it’s not zero. Even if it’s not stolen, you can damage your jewelry or even leave it behind somewhere. While you can absolutely take your jewelry on a trip without issue, it’s at least worth considering travel insurance of some sort and knowing how to keep your jewelry safe.
Is Cleaning Your Jewelry After Travel Different Than a Normal Cleaning?
Honestly, mostly no. It’s pretty much the same. That said, if you spent extra time by the pool on a honeymoon in the Caribbean or went somewhere in harsh weather, your cleaning needs may vary.
Jewelry Cleaning Tips Post-Vacay
Tip 1: Just Leave It at Home
Yes, we said it before, but we’re gonna say it again. Either have a silicone travel ring as your only piece of jewelry or just leave it at home. It’s rarely worth the hassle and stress to travel with nicer pieces of jewelry. You want to look your best for all the photos — and that’s perfectly fair — but just consider what you do and don’t bring on your trip.
Tip 2: Only Bring the Simpler Pieces
Alright, we’ll split the difference here. If you choose simple pieces of everyday jewelry, you can (usually) take them on trips with no issue. If you’ve got a piece of everyday jewelry with a high sentimental value, though, maybe don’t take that. Only take things you wouldn’t be devastated to lose. Also, try not to lose them, but ya know.
Tip 3: Make Sure You Bring a Jewelry Box
Honestly, most travel-related jewelry cleaning tips are pre-emptive. You just want to avoid any damage your jewelry could retain. A ring box is an absolute must. If you’re bringing several pieces of jewelry, maybe even a larger jewelry box could find its way into your bag. The more soft surfaces around your jewelry, the better.
Tip 4: Consider Cleaning It While You’re at Your Destination
Yeah, you don’t want to do chores while traveling if you can help it. That’s understandable. However, if you can find a few minutes to clean your jewelry while you’re at your destination, that will do wonders for your ring’s pre-emptive care. If you’re just gone for a weekend, this isn’t as big of a deal.
You can take small amounts of the essentials to make a DIY jewelry cleaner with you when you’re traveling to simplify things. Of course, most home cleaning remedies feature things you may be able to buy at your destination. Some travelers opt for things like dazzle sticks, which are basically the Tide pens of the jewelry world. If you pick just one option, the dazzle stick is the simplest.
Tip 5: A Professional Cleaning Might Be the Answer
It’s worth getting a professional cleaning once or twice a year to keep your jewelry in its best shape. So, if you can plan one of your yearly or twice-yearly cleanings around this trip, so much the better. It’s a cost, for certain, but still cheaper in the long run than replacing your jewelry pieces earlier than you would need to otherwise.
Tip 6: Clean Your Jewelry as Soon as Possible
Whether you’re going DIY or professional, you want to clean your jewelry as soon as you possibly can. Now, if you just went out of town for a few days on a business trip, this isn’t as vital. If you went to Miami and sat by the pool for a week, the combination of chlorine and sunscreen is not your jewelry’s friend.
The sooner you can clean your jewelry, the easier it is to get all the gunk cleaned out before it really gets caked in there. The sooner you clean your jewelry, the lower the likelihood of needing a professional cleaning to restore its shine.
Tip 7: Never Store Your Jewelry Immediately After a Trip
This is probably obvious, but this tip is just in case you wanted to get home and just put your jewelry in a box and shut the lid. That’s just going to allow anything that’s caked on there to work its way into the metal and cause your jewelry to dull or patina sooner than it should.
Even if you aren’t cleaning your jewelry the second you get home, at least leave it out in the open so it isn’t shut in your jewelry case without any air getting in.
Luckily, most jewelry cleaning that’s required after a trip is minimal. As long as you’re diligent about the cleaning, you should easily be able to remove anything your jewelry picked up on the trip and keep it shining for years to come.