Pearls are the lowest-maintenance fine jewelry there is, provided you know the three or four things that actually damage them. Nacre is an organic material — tough enough to wear for decades, soft enough that chemicals and bad storage do real harm. Here is everything that matters, and nothing that doesn't.
The one rule: last on, first off
Perfume, hairspray, lotion, and makeup are the leading killers of pearl luster. Their solvents and acids etch nacre's surface, dulling the reflection permanently. So: finish getting ready, then put on your pearls. At the end of the day, take them off first, before anything gets sprayed or slathered. If you internalise nothing else from this article, this rule does most of the work.
After each wear: thirty seconds
Wipe the pearls with a soft, slightly damp cloth before putting them away. This removes skin oils, sweat, and any product residue picked up during the day. That's the entire cleaning routine for normal wear — pearls do not need, and should not get, anything stronger.
What destroys nacre
- Ultrasonic jewelry cleaners. Never. The vibration can crack nacre and shake pearls loose from their settings. This includes the "safe for all jewelry" machines — they are not.
- Steam cleaners and hot water. Heat and moisture shock can craze the surface.
- Chemical dips and silver polish. Formulated for metal, ruinous for nacre. Clean the clasp separately if it needs it.
- Chlorine. Take pearls off before pools and hot tubs.
- Sealed plastic bags. This one surprises people: nacre contains a small amount of water and needs ambient humidity. Sealed in plastic, pearls can dehydrate and their surface can craze. Store them breathing, never airtight.
How to store pearls
- Flat, not hanging. Hanging a strand stretches the silk thread. Lay it flat in a pouch or the box it came in.
- Separated from other jewelry. Nacre is softer than metal and gemstones; a pearl loose in a jewelry box gets scratched by everything else in it. A soft cloth pouch is enough.
- Not in a safe for years on end. Long-term dry, airless storage is worse for pearls than regular wear. Pearls are one of the few valuables that genuinely benefit from being used.
Restringing: when and why
A well-made strand is hand-knotted on silk between each pearl — the knots stop the pearls grinding against each other and mean a broken thread drops one pearl, not thirty. Silk stretches and weakens with wear. Plan to restring every 3–5 years with regular wear.
How to tell it's time: look at the strand stretched gently taut. If you can see gaps growing between knots and pearls, or the strand has visibly lengthened, or the silk near the clasp looks fuzzy or discoloured, restring before it fails — a strand that breaks in the wild scatters.
Can you wear pearls every day?
Yes — and you should. Solid-nacre freshwater pearls have no coating to wear through, skin contact keeps them lightly hydrated, and regular wearing plus the wipe-down routine keeps them cleaner than storage does. The only caveats are the ones above: product before pearls, off before swimming and showering, wiped and stored flat at night. A pearl strand is not a delicate heirloom to be rationed; it's the most wearable fine jewelry you can own. That durability argument — and where it comes from structurally — is laid out in freshwater vs. akoya.
The routine, in full
- Last on, first off.
- Wipe with a soft damp cloth after wearing.
- Store flat, breathing, away from harder jewelry.
- No ultrasonics, no chemicals, no chlorine, no sealed plastic.
- Restring every 3–5 years.
That's it. Decades of wear for thirty seconds of care a day — which is a large part of what "value" means on our Quality & Value page. Choosing a size you'll wear daily matters too: see pearl sizes explained.
Pearls meant to be worn, not stored: browse the collection.