Keeping your Sterling Silver Shiny

Keeping your Sterling Silver Shiny
January 29, 2006

We all know that to keep our sterling silver beautiful, from time to time, we have to polish it! Silver tends to tarnish from contact with the air. Dampness + sunlight = tarnish!! First it will turn golden, and then start to blacken. The more humidity in the air, the faster the silver tarnishes. This is a natural process, and those of us that love silver are forced to polishing! Here are some tips to help!

Silver Polishing Cloths
This method is by far my favorite! Silver will polish by rubbing it with a chemically treated silver cloth. When used regularly, this helps greatly. If silver is left to tarnish to the black stage, it's going to be much harder than just wiping with a cloth. Invest in a good silver polishing cloth, and use it regularly so you don't have to spend hours scrubbing tarnish! These cloths also leave a slight bit of anti tarnish on the silver to aid in resisting tarnish and keep your silver shiny.

Silver Dips
Silver dips can also be used, and they're fast and easy! Do NOT use these with gemstones, as it can ruin them. Be sure to rinse thoroughly with fresh water or a white residue will be left on the silver that will be tough to remove. Dip the piece quickly in and out of the dip and then rinse thoroughly. You can repeat this step if you like. You can proceed to rub your silver with the polishing cloth when it is dry.

Marcasite Jewelry
The biggest challenge when cleaning up marcasite jewelry is not loosening the stones. One thing to remember with marcasite jewelry is not to wear it when washing your hands or doing dishes. Detergent and soaps CAN loosen the stones. Silver dip WILL loosen the stones. Your best bet with marcasite jewelry is the silver polishing cloth. If you need to replace your marcasites (or rhinestones), use the E6000 glue (not super glue!!) that you can get at your local craft store.

Sterling Silver Flatware
I can remember my mother spending hours once or twice a year polishing the family silver flatware! Wash and DRY each piece thoroughly before storing! Remember, dampness + sunlight = tarnish! Store all of your flatware in an airtight drawer or chest, or in preventive bags. Rotate your flatware. This will age the silver evenly. You can wrap your silver in acid free tissue paper, and then store them in flannel sacks, or if you can not use flannel sacks, tissue paper and an airtight plastic bag will suffice. Never wrap silver in any type of food wrap or newspaper, or use rubber bands on it. This will ruin it's finish. If you must polish, use baking soda or powder and a toothbrush with some warm water. Frequent use prevents tarnish. NEVER use a cleaner with ammonia or sulfer in it.

Gemstone Jewelry
Gemstone beads and cabochons should be immersed in warm, soapy water and scrubbed gently with a soft brush. Ultrasonic cleaners ONLY work with hard, crystalline stones, like diamonds or amethyst. Try to avoid the ultrasonic cleaners and dips. Silver polishing cloths are ok to use with gemstones.

I hope this has helped to take some of the frustration out of keeping your silver shiny!

Tomorrow:

New items we've been creating!

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