Cleaning Your Silver Jewelry
Silver polishing cloths are quite inexpensive and last a long time. The cloth is appropriate for cleaning and polishing silver jewelry that is mild to moderately dirty.
Silver jewelry collection
Soiled silver jewelry looks dull and tarnishes over time.
Rubbing the jewelry gently with the silver polishing cloth allows you to clean it without scratching the metal.
If your silver jewelry is heavily soiled or tarnished, you can use aluminum foil and to rid it of the dark spots.
Simply place a square of aluminum foil in the bottom of a heavy bowl.
Put the silver jewelry on top of the foil and pour moderately hot—not boiling—water over the jewelry.
Add a couple of tablespoons of baking soda to the water and swish it around to dissolve it.
Let the silver jewelry soak for about 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse the jewelry well and dry it with a soft towel.
This method makes the tarnish disappear and restores the shine and luster to the jewelry.
Cleaning Silver Jewelry with Other Gems in the Setting
Some gems set in silver jewelry are fragile, such as opals or pearls.
If your jewelry contains these stones, clean the jewelry according to the care method recommended for the particular stone.
Storing Your Silver Jewelry
Humidity, oils from your skin, perfumes, lotions, hair products and other substances cause silver jewelry to corrode and tarnish.
Protect your silver jewelry by wiping it off thoroughly with a polishing cloth or other soft material, like a cloth diaper, before storing it.
Place the silver in an area that is dark and dry, such as a jewelry box or drawer. Allow plenty of room for each piece of jewelry.
It is best to store the jewelry so that other pieces are not on top of it and are not touching each other. Storing your silver jewelry in this manner ensures that it will stay looking attractive for many years.
Can You Prevent Silver from Tarnishing?
Why Does Silver Tarnish?
Every piece of silver jewelry develops a black coating on its surface after some time. This tarnish is a result of a chemical reaction that occurs when silver comes into contact with air and various substances.
Every piece of silver jewelry develops a black coating on its surface after some time.
Silver tarnish is a form of corrosion, but unlike rust, it does not destroy the underlying metal and can be removed relatively easily.
How Can You Prevent Silver from Tarnishing?
There is no way to protect your silver jewelry from turning black because silver reacts with so many materials found in everyday life.
For instance, tarnishing can be accelerated by contact with tap water (because it contains chlorine), a number of foods (e.g., salad dressings), your perfume and hair spray, and even wool clothing.
While tarnishing is a natural process that cannot be prevented, it can be slowed down, but you will still need to clean the tarnished layer at some point.
How to Delay Tarnishing
To slow down tarnishing, clean your silver jewelry after wearing it. Oils from your skin accumulate on the surface of silver and can predispose it to oxidization.
Use warm water to wash your jewelry items gently, and dry them with a soft cloth.
You can also delay tarnishing by regularly polishing your silver jewelry. Use a polishing cloth to clean your silver items at the first signs of tarnishing.
Alternatively, you can have your silver jewelry buffed by a professional.
Minimize contact of your silver jewelry with substances that can cause tarnishing. This means that you shouldn’t wear your silver when washing up or taking a bath.
Don’t forget to remove your silver rings when cooking. Also, avoid wearing your silver necklaces with wool clothing.
Latex is another substance that can speed up tarnishing, so you should avoid contact of your silver items with it.
And don’t forget to put on your jewelry only after you have applied makeup and perfume.
Storing Silver to Delay Tarnishing
Generally, to slow down the tarnishing process, you should store you silver jewelry in a way that limits its exposure to air and humidity.
Put your silver items in sealed bags that close tightly. You can also put a silica gel bag inside, along with your jewelry. These small silica packets absorb humidity and thus help to delay tarnishing.
Plating Silver: A Temporary Protection Against Tarnishing
There are many silver items sold today that are plated to prevent tarnishing. The metals used for the coating are usually pure silver and rhodium.
This process of plating silver with a layer of white metal is called “flashing.”
The downside of plated silver is that the coating will eventually wear off. The more often you wear and polish your silver, the faster this will happen.
When the plating goes away, you can have your jewelry re-plated.
How to Clean Silver Tarnish
After your silver is already tarnished, you can use a silver polish to remove the black coating.
Another option is to use a silver polishing cloth.
You can also take your silver items to a jewelry shop to have your pieces professionally cleaned.
If you prefer to clean your silver jewelry at home, you can use a silver cleaning dip:
- Line a glass container with tin foil; pour some hot water, and add one or two tablespoons of salt and baking soda.
- Put your silver pieces in the dip, and leave them there for about five minutes.
- After the tarnish disappears, rinse your jewelry with water and dry it using a soft cloth.
Some people use toothpaste to clean silver. However, there are others who warn against this method as toothpaste can be too abrasive and scratch your jewelry. Generally, it comes down to the softness of the silver alloy and to the kind of toothpaste used as some brands are more abrasive than others. If your silver item has a flat surface, where scratches could be seen easily, you might not want to risk using this method.
