Updated: 9/26/2010
Many people have asked me how to clean their handmade silver jewelry. While there are many cleaning products out there, many are chemicals and are too caustic for the silver. Sterling silver does oxidize with time and will eventually tarnish. Some people have very acidic oils in their skin and this can cause silver jewelry to tarnish very quickly. I recommend using a sunshine polishing cloth to clean your jewelry. It’s gentle and does a good job in removing tarnish. Some people like to use the jewelry dips to clean jewelry but I adamantly do not recommend using these products because they will remove the darkening agent I use to darken the words or designs that have been stamped into the metal.
Believe it or not,
but by wearing your jewelry daily, will help
keep your jewelry bright and shiny (even if worn in the shower)! I
wore a bracelet for 3 years straight never removing it for bedtime or
showers and it never tarnished! I notice jewelry that sits especially
uncovered and exposed to air will in time tarnish. Jewelry that is
exposed to moisture will also hasten oxidation.
Please remember to never do house hold chores and clean with bleach
while wearing your jewelry. Bleach will not only stain your jewelry, but no amount of polishing with a
sunshine cloth will remove the stains.
Here’s a great tip for cleaning chains only that have oxidized and
are beyond the power of the polishing cloth. You will need:
A small pot lined with foil.
Add: 2-3 inches of water
1 tsp. of salt
1 tsp. of baking soda
bring to a boil, add chains making sure they are covered with
solution, boil for another minute or two and remove from heat. Using
caution, remove chains, rinse, dry and buff with a soft cloth. Your
chains should be bright and shiny!
I hope that you find this information helpful. If you have any
questions please feel free to leave a comment.
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