Crystal Bracelet Care: Water, Sun, Storage, Which Wrist & Quick Checks

This page collects the everyday care advice for every bracelet we sell. Each stone guide on our blog links here, so the general advice lives in one place and each stone page only covers what is different about that stone.

Wear it last, take it off first

Put your bracelet on after perfume, lotion, hand cream and hairspray have dried. Those leave a film that dulls polished beads and dries out the cord. Take it off before you shower, swim, wash dishes, work out or go to sleep. Pool chlorine and sea salt are the worst for the vintage-style accents, and sleeping in a stretch bracelet pulls on the cord all night.

Water

A splash while you wash your hands is not a problem for quartz, tourmaline or topaz. Softer stones (larimar, turquoise, sugilite, charoite, opal) and amber don't like soaking. If a bracelet gets wet, pat it dry with a soft cloth and let it lie flat until it is completely dry before you wear it again. Don't use a hair dryer.

Sun and heat

A day outdoors is fine. What fades stones is weeks of strong sun, like a bracelet left on a windowsill or a car dashboard. Purple and pink stones are the most sensitive, and amber darkens with heat. Keep a bracelet you are not wearing in a drawer or in its pouch.

Storage

Store each bracelet on its own. Quartz is hard enough to scratch softer beads if they sit together in a dish. Lay it flat or keep it in the pouch it came in, rather than hanging it, so the cord doesn't stay stretched.

The cord

Roll the bracelet over your hand to put it on and take it off; pulling it wide is what wears stretch cord out. If you wear a bracelet every day, look at the cord about once a year. Thin spots, fraying or a strand that stays loose after you take it off mean it is time to restring.

Cleaning and cleansing

To clean it, wipe each bead with a soft, dry, lint-free cloth. For energy cleansing, moonlight, sound, a little smoke or a night beside selenite are all gentle enough for any bracelet. Skip salt water and ultrasonic cleaners. We go through each method stone by stone in How to Cleanse a Crystal Bracelet.

Which wrist?

Wear it where it is comfortable and where you will see it. If you like the tradition, the left wrist is the receiving side, for things you want to bring in, and the right wrist is the giving side, for things you want to share or let go of. You can switch sides as your intention changes. Multi-wrap bracelets and malas have their own guides: multi-wrap bracelets and 108-bead malas.

Three quick checks for glass and dye

None of these checks will mark a bracelet.

1. Look into the drill holes. Dye gets into stone through openings, so it collects inside the hole and along hairline cracks. A darker ring at the hole, or color that follows a crack, means the bead was dyed.
2. Look for round bubbles. Glass is melted and poured, so trapped air forms perfectly round bubbles and swirl lines. Natural stone has wisps, veils, needles and angular inclusions instead. A 10x loupe or your phone's macro mode is enough to see them.
3. Hold it for a few seconds. Stone draws heat away from your skin faster than resin or plastic, so it stays cool for longer, and a strand of stone feels heavier than plastic. Glass can feel cool too, so treat this as a supporting clue.

Every bead we use is checked by eye before stringing, and the photos on each product page are of the exact piece you will receive. Each stone guide adds the checks that only apply to that stone.

Crystal meanings are based on tradition and are not a substitute for medical advice.