Disturbing amount of dirt that's lurking on your jewellery - and how to clean it

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The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the importance of keeping hands and our personal items washed and clean. Each day our hands come into contact with numerous objects, which could be carrying harmful bacteria. Pre-owned jewellery specialists Est1897 were curious how much grime our jewellery accumulates during regular wear, so they conducted a study to find out.

According to their results, your jewellery could be holding up to 428 times more germs than a toilet seat from just one week's worth of wear. As part of the experiment, experts took swabs from a ring, a watch and a pair of earrings after they had been worn regularly for one week.