Pearls and sunscreen

[TooPatient]

I am assuming that it is okay to wear a pearl when wearing sunscreen because many here wear sunscreen daily and still wear pearls. I keep seeing places say not to wear in bright sun or let come in contact with sunscreen, makeup, etc. Is that just extra careful or will it really ruin a pearl to be worn after applying sunscreen?

 

[AV_]

I doubt sunscreen would make a dent... because I know what it takes to damage nacre in excruciating detail - I've spent a year or so prepping pearls for microscopy washing them in just about anything & then some.

I would use soft water & paper/fabric (soft, absorbant) to clean pearls & no more; recalling pictures of nacre (mostly pearls, shell is the same up to a point) scorched by alcohol & mild bleach (1%) induce exaggeration ,(
...

Nacre is silly tough & it does help that removing even one of those absurdly thin layers (less than 0.01 mm, loosely) restores the surface (in practice, a few layers are requirerd, since wear usually goes a few layers deep - I have not & would not dare attempt to repair pearls this way!)

rambling

 

[TooPatient]

I doubt sunscreen would make a dent... because I know what it takes to damage nacre in excruciating detail - I've spent a year or so prepping pearls for microscopy washing them in just about anything & then some.

I would use soft water & paper/fabric (soft, absorbant) to clean pearls & no more; recalling pictures of nacre (mostly pearls, shell is the same up to a point) scorched by alcohol & mild bleach (1%) induce exaggeration ,(
...

Nacre is silly tough & it does help that removing even one of those absurdly thin layers (less than 0.01 mm, loosely) restores the surface (in practice, a few layers are requirerd, since wear usually goes a few layers deep - I have not & would not dare attempt to repair pearls this way!)

rambling

Thank you! That is sort of what I thought. There were people talking about it on one answer that popped up in my search so got me wondering. I don't see how there would be any pearls passed on through families if they were as delicate as some of those people were talking!

 

[AV_]

@TooPatient Nacre is a different animal than the other rubble - so there's all that talk...

 

[pearlsngems]

The way I see it, sunscreen isn't good for pearls, but cancer isn't good for skin.

Wear your sunscreen. Wash it off the pearls when you get home.

 

[TooPatient]

The way I see it, sunscreen isn't good for pearls, but cancer isn't good for skin.

Wear your sunscreen. Wash it off the pearls when you get home.

That is what I settled on! The jeweler who made it said warm water and a mild soap when I get home then bring it in later and he can clean it too.

I slather on SPF50 before I even dress so I have nowhere not covered. Then apply again to exposed areas when I get to the place (3-4 hours later) and another smear over most burn prone places midway through the day. Otherwise I look worse than a lobster! (Okay, I look like one anyway because of my reaction to the heat but it goes away when I cool down so long as I wear the sunscreen!)

 

[GliderPoss]

Yeah I just put my sunscreen on first then pearls on last once it's soaked it. I give the pearls a rinse & pat dry once a week.