Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:**
In this piece, we dive into the murky waters of waterproof jewelry—a topic that’s less clear-cut than it seems. While Olympic swimmer Regan Smith can rely on custom pieces built for the pool, the rest of us face a confusing market of claims and materials. We break down what truly holds up to water, so you can wear your favorites without worry.
Since Olympic swimmer Regan Smith spends most of her days backstroking and butterflying in a pool, she can wear only the best waterproof jewelry. The three-time Team USA medalist doesn’t have the time to worry about tarnished pieces. But, if you’re not a competitive swimmer whose pieces are custom-designed with your occupation in mind, how do you know what jewelry is waterproof and what isn’t? The answer is, admittedly, not very straightforward.
In addition to studying the various types of metal alloys, sorting through the ocean of online jewelry options makes shopping for jewelry that you can safely sweat, swim, and shower feel like a Herculean task. The CEO of a waterproof jewelry brand curates a master edit of the best waterproof jewelry for your summer and pool fits. Plus, the jewelry geniuses explain the best metals to wear and shout out the best affordable jewelry brands.
Like rings, you want to ensure your bracelets are solidly waterproof because every time you wash your hands, the piece will be exposed to H2O and soap. Kahn emphasizes, however, that even when the jewelry itself is water-resistant and durable, you should still properly maintain and care for your jewelry.
Once you’ve stocked your jewelry box with water-resistant earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings, now you can move on to the oft-forgotten piece—the anklet. The ankle-adorning style is ideal for summer, too, as your legs are readily on display, which is all the more reason to ensure the anklet you buy can withstand any water-based activities. Opt for a dainty chain like those offered by minimal jewelry brand Catbird or make more of a statement with a motif piece like Sydney Evan’s evil eye number.
But hope is not lost if your solid gold jewelry starts to look worse for wear.
Hey Harper’s Oliveira calls stainless steel—an iron, carbon, magnesium, and chromium alloy—”a highly durable metal loved for being corrosion-resistant.” You’ll want to pay close attention to the grade of stainless steel because this is where you might run into some rust: lower grades are more likely to tarnish, but higher ones, like 304 and 316—won’t. Oliveira urges you to look for pieces treated in a process called physical vapor deposition—PVD, for short—which coats the stainless steel in a thin layer of metal 10 times stronger than standard and regular gold plating.
Lastly, jewelry made from the four noble metals ending in “um”—platinum, palladium, titanium, and aluminum—won’t react to water and is corrosion-resistant.
Solid gold jewelry can run you up into the mid-to-high hundreds (and more, depending on the brand and piece), so Oliveira encourages you to keep an eye on your budget.
In 2013, Alexis Nido-Russo launched Local Eclectic to share her favorite designers’ one-of-a-kind jewelry with the world. The brands Local Eclectic carries are 94-percent women founded/owned and 72-percent of them have 5 or fewer employees.
