How do I care for and clean my jewelery?
Silver will naturally tarnish and lose its shine when exposed to the atmosphere. The best way to prevent this is by wearing it! When not being worn silver is best kept in a jewellery box or bag to reduce exposure. If your jewellery does require cleaning we recommend you use a polishing cloth. These are readily available at most jewellers or hardware stores. Never use liquid dip type cleaning solutions since they will remove the oxidization which is a feature of most Suarti designs.
Causes
Sterling silver tarnish can be caused by a myriad of different everyday substances, but most common are light and airborne chemicals- namely sulfur. Sulfur is sterling silver’s arch nemesis, and while trace amounts of it are widespread in the air we breathe, there are also significant amounts in much of the food we eat- especially eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, and broccoli. This doesn’t mean much for jewellery, but it explains the tarnish seen on fine silver flatware.
Other threats you may not suspect include fluorescent light, felt, rubber bands, latex gloves, finger oils, hairspray, and perfume. It’s true- tarnish-causing agents are everywhere!
Storage and Prevention
Storing your sterling silver properly is crucial, and will mainly consist of recognizing the causes of tarnish and trying your best to protect your accessories from ever having any contact with them. For starters, never store your sterling silver in contact with rubber bands, cardboard, or wood (oak is especially bad for sterling silver). You also want it in a relatively airtight, dark space- especially protected from ultra-violet light. I recommend wrapping your sterling silver jewellery in acid-free tissue paper, and then storing each piece in a zip lock bag in a cupboard or drawer. For long term storage, this method should do the trick. If you wear your sterling silver too often to make that method viable, you can simply keep it in an airtight drawer on a layer of tissue (to keep it from contacting the bare wood). There are a number of products available to store with jewellery so that it tarnishes at a slower rate, such as 3M’s Anti-Tarnish Strips. If you don’t want to spend money, white chalk has frequently been suggested as a surprisingly effective and inexpensive substitute.
Plastic wrap is a slightly controversial storage medium. We here at Stones and Findings have found that wrapping up our sterling silver in plastic wrap and keeping it out of the light keeps sterling silver tarnish-free for ages. Others suggest that there is a crucial difference between plastic that zip lock bags are made of- and thin stretchy plastic cling wrap, which is allegedly inadvisable for silver storage. It’s probably okay, but if in doubt, leave cling wrap out. And whatever you do, don’t use rubber bands. These will cause a black band of tarnish to develop rapidly, even through a layer of plastic, without direct contact.
Proper storage really goes a long way in tarnish prevention, but it’s not the only measure you can take. Remember, also, that if you wear hairspray, perfume, moisturizers, or anything of the sort, is always best to apply those products before you put on your sterling silver to minimize contact. However, these products will still likely tarnish the surfaces of the sterling silver it comes in contact with. Likewise, the chemical makeup of the wearer’s skin, whether high in iron or acidity, will have an effect on the rate at which the sterling silver jewellery pieces tarnish. Regular cleaning and maintenance will be still be necessary.
Finally, don’t forget to clean your sterling silver accessories on a regular basis… preferably before they start to tarnish! As prevention, this can simply mean rubbing the oils off your pieces with a cotton cloth after wear.
Cleaning
Remember- tarnish in its early stages is easy to remove with gentle cleaning and readily available household supplies. The longer it goes untreated, the more severe it will look (eventually turning dark grey or black) and the more difficult it will be to get rid of.
For mild cases, simply follow these instructions: using a gentle solution of Comet or Ajax and warm water; lather the crevices of your accessory and let sit for 30 seconds. Then rinse thoroughly before patting dry completely with cotton cloth or paper towel. That’s it! Repeat if necessary. Keep in mind that if your sterling silver article is set with gemstones or pearls, you may need to carefully clean around those features, trying only to touch the sterling silver parts- this goes for polishing too.
As mentioned, some people prefer to keep the crevices a little bit tarnished so their sterling silver will appear more classic and aged. Feel free to experiment, and if you’re ever unsure, simply do a small test sample on a less conspicuous part of the item.
When tarnish gets really extreme and begins to blacken, a professional sterling silver restorer may be required. They will typically use heavy duty chemical sterling silver dips to solve the problem. These are inadvisable for regular use, as they are highly toxic and actually degrade the surface of the sterling silver over time. In other words, prevention is definitely the best bet.
Polish
If you’ve decided that cleaning isn’t enough, and you want to take your sterling silver’s radiance to the next level by using polish, remember to use as little as possible. It really doesn’t take much, and too much will actually wear down the surface finish. Always use straight, broad strokes when polishing or drying your pieces; never use a circular motion or you could end up with unwanted surface smudging.
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