How to Care For Silver Jewelry
By Alice Stacy
How to Care For Silver Jewelry
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 and more information about
jewelry sales business.
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