You might be ruining your jewelry and not even realize it!

When jewelry comes in for repair, many times people are shocked at how bad the damage actually is. While you may not work in construction, you could be endangering your jewelry every day without even knowing it. And when you expose your jewelry over a long period of time to this kind of treatment, the cost of repair can really add up. Regular maintenance and inspection is a lot easier on your wallet AND the piece of jewelry itself.

Here are some tips for keeping your treasures in top shape:

TAKE OFF YOUR JEWELRY BEFORE YOU GO TO BED.

You may want to leave your earrings in rather than risk the hassle of forgetting to put them back on or losing them, but sleeping in them can cause the posts to bend or break and can also be painful by poking you where your head meets the pillow. Earring backs are usually held on by friction and repeated rubbing against your pillow can work them off and you can lose your earrings overnight. Necklaces can get tangled in your hair, bedding, or pajamas and chains can snap. Bracelets and rings can catch as well. Did you know your fingers tend to swell while you sleep? Don't risk your ring getting stuck and leave it on the nightstand.

DOING ANY HEAVY WORK WITH YOUR HANDS? TAKE OFF YOUR RINGS!

Even if you're wearing gloves, steady pressure from gripping something like a hammer or shovel can distort the shape of your ring. Even if it isn't pinching your finger, if your ring is no longer round, it can cause stones to come loose and get knocked out very easily. This doesn't apply to pressure-formed rings like tungsten carbide and ceramic which break instead of bending, but even those aren't immune from damage by other methods.

SWEATING IT OUT? YOUR JEWELRY DOESN'T NEED THE WORKOUT.

Salty sweat will tarnish silver jewelry, and bracelets and necklaces can get snagged on machines or your workout gear. If you're gripping weights too tightly, again you risk stretching the settings on your rings and losing your stones. Playing sports can also be a jewelry hazard.

CHORING AND CLEANING? NO JEWELRY ALLOWED!

There aren't many cleaners out there that are completely safe for jewelry, especially softer stones like pearl and opal. Cleaners with bleach can strip the alloys out of your gold, leaving your jewelry weak, dull, and brittle. It can even completely dissolve pearls or amber given enough time.

SHOWERING AND GETTING READY MEANS LEAVING YOUR JEWELRY FOR LAST.

Conditioners, lotions, and hair styling products can build up on your jewelry, dulling the shine and hardening in hard-to-reach places like around prongs and under gemstones. Cleaning with dish soap and warm water won't take away buildup like that and if you try to pry it away yourself, you risk popping out your stones. Perfumes can strip the luster off softer stones and tarnish metals.

PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE NEVER GO SWIMMING OR USE A HOT TUB WITH YOUR JEWELRY ON.

It cannot be stressed enough that chlorine WILL damage your jewelry. It strips alloys from your gold, tarnishes your silver, and destroys gemstones. Swimming in salt water will also tarnish silver and generally isn't a good idea. Besides, if you accidentally lose your jewelry in the ocean, chances of recovery are almost nonexistent. Jewelry looks gorgeous in sunlight, it's true, but it doesn't look good caked in sunblock or pitted and brittle from chlorine. (Also note that the sun itself can bleach the color from some gemstones.)

DON'T RISK YOUR OWN DIY JEWELRY CLEANING.

Dish soap and warm water with a super soft child's toothbrush is the only thing that we can recommend for cleaning jewelry in general and make sure to dry it with a soft, lint-free cloth. Alcohol may do wonders on diamonds, but it can damage other stones. Lemon juice is also a no-no. Some people swear by using toothpaste to clean silver, but it is usually much too abrasive and will wear down the metal and scratch the stones, not to mention hardening under stones like body products and becoming almost impossible to remove.