Caring for Silver Jewellery

Overview

Silver is a precious metal and like gold this too cannot be utilized in its pure form. 999 silver or pure silver is too gentle to be used. In order to make it durable enough to be used in making jewellery, pure silver needs to be alloyed with small quantities of copper. The addition of copper leads to strengthening of silver and the resulting product is known as sterling silver or 925 silver. There are several marks that help in identifying sterling silver, they are sterling, sterling silver, ster, silver and .925.

Sterling silver and silver-plated?

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver made with the use of 92.5% silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper. Whereas, silver plated jewellery is made of a base metal that is covered in a thin layer of silver. This makes the silver plated piece of jewellery less valuable than Sterling silver. Silver plated jewellery usually lasts for less than twenty years whereas sterling silver jewelry, if properly cared for, can last for a much longer time.

Why does silver tarnish?

Tarnishing is a natural dulling that occurs when silver is exposed to and reacts with hydrogen sulfide or sulfur present in the air. There are a large number of people who think that silver tarnishes when it is oxidized. However, if we think chemically, silver is a noble metal and does not react easily. It usually does not react with water or oxygen at normal temperatures. However, the other metals present in the alloy, usually copper, may react with the oxygen in the air.

How to clean silver jewelry?

Tarnish can be most easily removed when it first becomes visible. One of the best ways to keep your silver jewellery clean is by wearing it often. However, storing the silver and humidity can tarnish the silver through a process known as oxidation. It lends a blackish dark color to the jewellery.

There are a number of ways of cleaning the tarnished silver jewellery. A popular method among these is to use a liquid silver cleaner that can be purchased from a jewellery store. You can simply place the silver jewellery in a tray, apply the cleaner, swish it around and the original beautiful shine of silver will be restored.

There is another method that works great with silver jewellery. It is called the aluminum foil method. All you have to do is fill a jar or a bowl halfway with hot water and add a table spoon of salt or more keeping in mind the size of the bowl and the quantity of water. Stir and mix the salt gently till it dissolves completely in the water. Then add a few strips of aluminum foil to the bowl. Place the pieces of silver jewellery in the bowl. Gently stir it around a little and then let it sit there for a few minutes. The aluminum foil will interact with the salt and remove the tarnish off the silver jewellery. After this is done, rinse the silver jewellery with water. Repeat the process a few times if needed. This process is very effective in restoring the silver jewellery back to its original state. However, antique or particularly valuable pieces of jewellery should always be polished with hand as buffing can damage such pieces permanently.

Conclusion:  all love silver jewellery but it is essential to take good care of it in order to ensure that it lasts for a long time. One must be mindful of the differences between silver plated jewellery and sterling silver jewellery and accordingly choose the one that best suits their purpose and requirement. It is essential to take good care of the silver jewelry to avoid tarnishing. Re polishing the silver jewellery is an expensive, time consuming and a long process therefore it is best to maintain the jewellery in a good state rather than getting it mended later.

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