How to care for
silver jewelry by Alice Stacy
Silver jewelry has a lovely patina, but the
sad fact is that the patina darkens with age, turning from the original
brilliant silver, to a light gold, and if left long enough it will become
bronzed and then a black/blue.
This is due to the chemical reaction of the silver, with sulfides present in the
environment. This is usually due to airborne pollutants, but can also be
transferred to the jewelry on your hands.
One of the first rules of keeping your silver jewelry shining, is to store it
properly in acid-free paper, or cloth especially for that purpose. Put them in a
drawer or other safe place, that is away from exposure to wood or other types of
smoke.
It is best to keep jewelry polished, instead of trying to play "catch up" when
it has become heavily tarnished. But there are a number of ways to deal with the
darkening color.
There are many home solutions, such as using white toothpaste and a soft brush.
However, some jewelers point out that silver is not tooth enamel, and can't
withstand the abrasive content. Although on things like chains, it's unlikely
you would see any resulting scratches.
Commercial solutions do work, but depending on the nature of your jewelry (e.g.
whether it contains gemstones or pearls), you may not be able to submerge it
completely, and the cleaning will be uneven.
One basis of both commercial and home cleaning solutions, is the creation of an
electrochemical cell, where there is a metal ingredient that is anodic to
silver. This means that it will help turn the silver in the sulphide tarnish,
back to silver.
A favorite home treatment is to line a pot with aluminum foil, one of the metals
anodic to silver, put your jewelry in, and cover it with water, then add several
tablespoons of baking soda. Boil gently until you see that the discoloration is
gone. Your jewelry may be completely clean, or may have a white powder on its
surface from the oxidization. This can be removed easily with a baking soda
paste. Remember to exercise caution in cleaning silver jewelry. If it is not
purely silver, like a chain or bracelet, the treatment you use can damage soft
stone or pearls.
About the author:
If you love jewelry, why not make a career out of it? Visit http://www.jewelrysalesbusiness.com
for company profiles and connect with representatives.
Jill's Jewelry & Opal Treasures carries a wide variety of gemstone jewelry in .925 sterling silver as well as 14k gold-filled and 14kt gold. Jill's Jewelry & Opal Treasures specializes in opal jewelry, ammolite jewelry, dichroic glass jewelry, paua shell jewelry, mystic fire topaz jewelry, and mystic ice cz jewelry. You will also find a variety of turquoise and rainbow moonstone jewelry as well as jewelry with other semi-precious gems.
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