Caring for Silver Jewelry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DETER TARNISH:  The best way to keep your silver jewelry sparkling, is to deter the tarnishing process  from beginning as much as  possible.  Contact with the air and moisture, as well as chemicals, pollution, creams, perfumes and cosmetics encourage tarnishing.  Like all jewelry, it's best to  take a  'last on, first off' approach to minimize contact and contamination.   When you are finished wearing your silver jewelry wipe it off before storing.  If you have the time, or begin to see a slight yellow tinge appearing, wash it gently with a little phosphate-free detergent (shampoo works well), then rince it in warm water and dry with a soft cloth or tissue.  Leave it to completly air dry a few minutes on a cloth or paper towel before storing.  

 

PROPER STORAGE:  Next, it is absolutely instrumental to store your silver jewelry properly.  Once dry,  after wiping/washing, carefully wrap  the jewel in a small piece of acid-free tissue paper (available at most craft stores and used by scrapbookers) or a tarnish-free cloth  and enclose it in a small plastic bag that seals.  You can find small 'zip' closing bags at craft stores, or a standard ziplock will do the trick - be sure to get all the air out.  You can enclose an anti-tarnish (look for 3M or Hagerty Anti-Tarnish strips) paper strips which will deter tarnishing even further for a limited time.   Alternatively, place small containers or bags of desiccated silica gel or activated charcoal inside the bag (making sure each piece is individually wrapped) and not in direct contact with the silver. Storing silver in a special silver chest or box lined with with tarnish preventive fabric is also effective, and you can add a anti-tarnish strip into the box/chest and change it every few months for maximum benefits.  

 

Silver that is cleaned regularly and stored properly will develop very little tarnish and should not require much in the way of tarnish removal.  Note:  If you see the pale yellow of tarnish beginning, clean the piece immediately and don't allow the tarnish to develop; the dark black-ish tarnish is very difficult to remove and can even damage or pit the silver.

 

DO NOT store your jewelry in plastic bags without a buffer (tissue paper, anti-tarnish cloth) as the silver can become damaged from being in direct contact with the plastic.

 

DO NOT use plastic cling wrap, newspaper or rubber bands. They have properties that react with silver causing damage that will require a silversmith to repair or polish it to remove the damage. Cardboard boxes that aren't archival have acids that will tarnish the silver very rapidly.

 

DO NOT lacquer or wax your silver  or apply any  'coating' to the metal.  It is almost impossible to get an even coating and even so, it will certainly wear off unevenly leaving  streaks and/or small holes, so that when the object tarnishes, the end result is many times worse than if no coating had been applied at all.

 

Next:  Cleaning Silver Jewelry

 

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