There’s been a myth floating around for some time that you should never get pearls wet. While there’s some truth to this, it’s an oversimplification. Pearls can get wet — after all, they were "born" under water! Water will not hurt your pearls. However, there are two risks when it comes to wearing your akoya pearl jewelry in the shower. The first is that while in the shower you may be using products such as shampoos and body washes; these products can contain fragrances, aromatic oils, or harsh chemicals that can damage the luster of your pearls. For this reason, you want to be careful wearing pearls in any circumstance — wet or otherwise — where you’re coming in contact with these products. The second is in the hardware of your jewelry. While water alone will not damage your pearls, it can wear down the silk threading in a pearl necklace or become trapped in the metal settings of rings and earrings, causing them to erode over time. If glue has been used to hold a pearl in place, the water can cause the glue to disintegrate and you could end up losing the pearl.  Although water will not harm your pearls, we suggest leaving them off when you’re in the shower or going for a swim. But if you’re wearing pearls and happen to get caught in the rain, there's no need to panic.