There was a demonstration of the effects of the chemical, chlorine. Here is what happened, a gold wedding band was placed in a container of undiluted Clorox. Pressure was applied with a device similar to a small C-clamp. Within 5 minutes the ring had cracked into pieces.
Here is another example: A woman soaked a ring in Clorox for 24 hours. The ring crumbled in her fingers.
Most damage does not occur at this rapid rate. It is a result of repeated exposure to weaker concentrations of chlorine over a long period of time. Keep your jewelry out of swimming pools, hot tubs, or diluted bleach used for cleaning. Even some drinking water supplies contain enough chlorine to cause problems.
What happens to your jewelry as a result of this exposure? Prongs fall off and stones are lost. Jewelry cracks into one or more pieces. Thin sections may collapse.
Other chemicals can also cause stress corrosion, such as acetic acid-salt solutions. A common example of this is the vinegar and salt solution used to make pickles.
The higher the karat the gold is the less effected it is by stress corrosion. Jewelry made from 18 karat gold or platinum mostly avoids these problems.
Metallic Abrasion
Corrosion
Tarnishing of Sterling Silver Jewelry
Is this Cheap Gold?