Sleeping with a necklace on isn’t the end of the world, but if you regularly wear jewelry around your neck to sleep, you may run into a few problems. It can get caught or dig into your skin. Accidents of this kind do not cause serious damage, but they can damage jewelry, scratch gemstones, and wear metal.
Regularly sleeping with a necklace on can also cause skin irritation. Overnight skin contact with the metal can cause rashes and blisters, dermatologist Dr. Marina Peredo tells SELF. Even if the jewelery doesn’t bother her during the day, she can exacerbate her mild allergies when she sweats in her sleep.
Real jewelry (jewelry made of precious metals or real stones) probably won’t irritate your skin, but you shouldn’t wear it while you sleep. Wearing that beautiful diamond necklace every night will get it dirty faster than usual. Tiffany & Co. recommends having your fine jewelry professionally cleaned several times a year, but this is already quite expensive. Sleeping with a nice necklace on may require a cleaning budget every month.