Lots of people love sterling silver jewelry, but most of them have no idea how to maintain it. In fact, we can keep the silver jewelry looking new if we pay attention to daily maintenance. See this article below for a discussion of why silver tarnishes and how fast it can tarnish if not cared for properly.
1. The best way to maintain the silver jewelry is to wear it every day, because our body can produce natural oils and make it luster.
2. As you are wearing other precious metals, better not wear silver jewelry at the same time, in order to avoid a collision deformation or abrasion.
3. Be sure to keep silver jewelry dry, don't wear it swimming, and stay away from spring water and seawater. After wearing the jewelry, wipe its surface gently with a paper towel or cotton cloth, clear the water and dirt, and store it in sealed bag or jewelry box to remove dirt and moisture.
4. If you notice that the silver jewelry turns yellow, the easiest is to wash its surface with a little water and toothpaste. Or use a small brush to clean the slit of silver jewelry, then wipe its surface with polishing cloth, the silver jewelry will be restore its original luster immediately.
5. If the silver jewelry turned yellow gravely, don't soak with "silver washing liquid for a long time, usually a few seconds only, then immediately wash with water, and dry it with soft paper.
6. If the silver jewelry can be restore its luster about 89% with the polishing cloth, it's no need to use "silver washing liquid", cause they are a certain corrosive, after using them, the silver jewelry will be easy to turn yellow. Besides, the polishing cloth contains silver component maintenance, don't wash it with water.
7. If you didn't clean and store it after wearing at ordinary times, it probably makes thesilver jewelryblack. At this time you should use a small brush to clean the slit of silver jewelry, put a drop of silver washing liquid" at paper, wipe the surface black oxide, then use the polishing cloth to restore its original luster. Remember to do the daily maintenance, avoid the silver jewelry turned black again. After turned black for several times, the silver jewelry is hard to wipe white.
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Caring for Your Gold Jewelry
Gold is lasting and durable, but it can get scratched or dentedif treated roughly. Gold’s worst enemy is chlorine. Repeated exposure can weakengold’s structure, eventually leading to breakage. Keep your jewelryaway from chlorinated cleaning products and out of swimmingpools and jacuzzis. Protect your gold jewelry by storing it safely or keeping it wrappedin a soft cloth when not being worn. Clean your gold jewelry with a cleaning solution of sudsy lukewarmwater, or bring it to your local jeweler and have it steam-cleaned. Dry and polish jewelry with a chamois or soft cloth after cleaningand rinsing. Keep gold jewelry free from dust, moisture, perspirationand makeup. Always inspect your gold jewelry for weakness or damage and bring it to a professional jeweler for immediate repair. Your jeweler will be able to restore it for you.
Caring for Your Elven Bands
You will not want to expose the enamel to any harsh cleaning chemicals like acetone. Some jewelry dips can also damage the enamel so we recommend using a chemically treated polishing cloth to clean the rings. You can get these at any jewelry store or jewelry counter. The best way to insure the longevity of the rings is to remove them before doing any physical labor. This not only protects the rings but is also a good general safety precaution. Like all sterling silver, eventually wear and tear will show on the bands themselves. You can have a local jeweler polish the rings to get dents, dings and scratches removed from the metal, but make sure that the jeweler has experience working will enamel so they do not damage the rings. Also you can always send the ring back to us for polishing or re-enameling if it is ever needed, simply contact us and we can give you a price for the cleaning.
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People will say that silver "turns color", "gets dark", or "oxidizes". While these may all be general descriptions, they are not scientifically accurate.
Silver is a metal that has many unique properties: It's lustrous and is attractive for jewelry, and it is soft and easy to bend and shape. It also is dramatically affected by air pollution, notably what are known as sulfides (sulphides).
When a car or lawn mower burns gasoline, or an electric plant burns coal, it generates air pollution such as sulfur dioxide. This goes into the air and circulates everywhere. Therefore if you live downwind of a power plant, or in an urban environment, then your silver will tarnish faster.
Silver tarnish forms in a fairly predictable manner. When it begins to build, it starts out by making the white luster yellow. This usually shows as golden-tinted splotches. Then, a purplish-hue forms as a warning that action should be taken. By the time the tarnish is black, it could be deeply embedded. Silver has a grain structure as it is either cast or rolled in its manufacture. Once tarnish sinks in between the microscopic-grain structure, damage can be done.
If you live in an area where the ground water is rich in magnesium sulfates (Epsom salts, for instance, sometimes known as Pluto water) be careful with your jewelry. This soil will generate awful smelling fumes known as hydrogen sulfide. Some well known places are French Lick, Indiana and Porterville, California. While the salts have homeopathic and purgative properties, their vapors will tarnish silver quickly.
Eggs are rich in sulfides, and eating eggs with real silverware will almost always tarnish silver, sometimes irreparably.
Scientifically, the equation that demonstrates the reaction to form tarnish looks like this:
Silver Tarnish Equation
A recent paper (1) indicates that within 2 hours of exposure to heavy air pollution silver will lose its luster, in 4 hours it will show tarnish, in 10 hours it will be uniformly discolored, and in 24 hours it will be very tarnished. Increased humidity, elevated temperatures, and air circulation will accelerate the effects and make the tarnish worse. They also found that exposure to bright light (like sunlight) will also increase the speed which silver will tarnish.
When silver lightly tarnishes, clean it immediately. What (sadly) happens so many times is that a silver item is tucked away in storage in a box, and many years later it's rediscovered. By then, the tarnish has penetrated so deeply that the silver is permanently scarred.
Other Forms of Silver Discoloration
One unexpected and shocking occurrence is when someone goes swimming while wearing silver jewelry. Silver will blacken upon exposure to chlorine. Often this will require a jeweler's attention. Even being near a swimming pool will blacken your silver! The rule of thumb is if you can smell chlorine, your silver is already in danger of discoloring.
Obviously household bleach will do the same thing, so be careful. If you have to use bleach in your house, cover up your silver. The fumes will even seep through a kitchen drawer.
Don't wash your silverware in a dishwasher. Dishwashing detergents can contain heavy chemicals which can either directly discolor silver, or interact in solution with the hot water and chemicals and other metals (aluminum, copper, or steel) to permanently discolor your silver.
Laying silverware on top of stainless steel, or natural steel utensils can cause a electrolytic reaction. Over time, the conductivity of silver with humidity will cause rust on the steel, and that steel will migrate in and permanently stain or corrode your silverware.
Exposure to silver dip. Blitz does not recommend, make, or distribute any silver dip. We believe it to be toxic, a poison in the household that could hurt children and pets, and is known (by California) to be a carcinogen. However, if you choose to use it, be careful. It can leave a film – sometimes a thick yellow film - on your silver after it removes the tarnish. Blitz does have a non-toxic Silver Shine ™ (#681) product you can use with confidence.
Blitz has been making "the polish is in the cloth" since 1912. All of our flannel silver polishing cloths are non-toxic, 100% cotton, made of the gentlest ingredients, and easy to use. Use them any time that your silver shows a hint of tarnish, and they leave a barrier that resists re-tarnishing.
