Summer is the season your jewelry works hardest. Between beach days, pool afternoons, and the daily layer of sunscreen, the pieces you love are up against more than they are in any other month. The good news: keeping them beautiful takes almost no effort once you know what actually causes the damage. Here is how I coach my clients to wear their fine jewelry all summer long — no anxiety required.

Sunscreen is the quiet culprit

Nothing dulls a diamond faster than sunscreen. It leaves an invisible film across the surface of a stone, and after a week of reapplying, that sparkle you paid for looks cloudy and flat. The fix is simple: put your jewelry on after your sunscreen and lotion have absorbed, not before. And once a week, give your everyday pieces a gentle bath in warm water with a drop of dish soap, then a soft brush along the back of the stone where the film collects.

This matters most for the pieces that never leave your body. Something like our 2 Carat Oval Diamond Bezel Stud Earrings ($1,550) is built for exactly this kind of wear — bezel-set, with nothing to snag and a smooth ring of gold protecting each stone — but even the most durable setting looks better with a quick clean now and then.

Chlorine and gold don't mix

Here is the one that surprises people: chlorine is far harder on your gold than on your gemstones. Over time it weakens the alloys in the metal, and at the prong level, that can eventually mean a loose stone. A single swim won't ruin anything, but a summer of daily pool wear adds up. If you're doing laps or lounging in a hot tub, take your rings off. Your gold will thank you in September.

Porous stones need extra grace

Diamonds and sapphires shrug off almost anything. Softer, porous stones ask for a little more care. Turquoise is the classic example — it drinks in oils, sunscreen, and perfume, and over years it can shift color if you let it. A piece like our Arizona Turquoise Choker ($325) is a summer favorite precisely because the color is so alive, and the way to keep it that way is easy: it goes on last, after your scent and sunscreen, and comes off before you swim.

Opals deserve their own mention. They contain a small amount of water by nature, so they dislike extreme heat and long soaks. An opal piece like the Oval Cut White Opal East-West Solitaire Necklace ($750) is perfectly happy at a summer dinner — just not left baking on a hot dashboard or worn into the ocean. Treat opals like something alive and they'll glow for decades.

The salt of the sea

Saltwater is abrasive and, over time, corrosive to metal and clasps. It's also where jewelry gets lost — cold water shrinks your fingers just enough for a ring to slip away in the waves. My advice is unglamorous but reliable: the ocean is a no-jewelry zone. Leave your pieces in your bag, and enjoy the swim knowing exactly where they are.

A simple summer rhythm

If you remember nothing else, remember this order: sunscreen first, jewelry last, and both come off before the pool or the sea. Store your pieces separately so they don't scratch each other, and bring anything you wear daily in for a professional check at the end of the season — a two-minute look at your prongs now prevents a lost stone later.

Fine jewelry is meant to be lived in, sunshine and all. A little care is simply how you make sure it's still catching the light long after summer ends. If you'd like a piece cleaned, checked, or reimagined, I'm always happy to help.