I am sure you want to treasure and care for your silver jewellery in the right way – by doing this, silver will retain its beauty for many years to come.
There are multiple factors that can affect the condition of your jewellery. It is important to learn about these factors, properly clean and store your jewellery.
It is normal for sterling silver to tarnish overtime – this is because sterling silver is an alloy – which means it is a mixture of metals – 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals.
Other metals in the silver usually include copper and it is the copper that reacts to moisture and sulphur in the air causing it to tarnish.
These are some helpful “Dos” and “Dont’s” to help you care for your jewellery:
Do
- Wear your silver jewellery as often as you can – this helps reduce the build-up of tarnish
- Protect your jewellery from knocks, scratches, chemicals, sunlight and extreme temperatures
- Keep your jewellery away from products containing sulphur e.g. – rubber bands and some papers
- Store your jewellery pieces in individual pouches/boxes to stop them getting scraped and tangled
- Ideally, store jewellery in an airtight box to reduce tarnish build up
- Clean your silver jewellery with a soft, lint-free cloth and a special silver cleaner if required to remove tarnish and return the beautiful shine
- Use a clean soft, damp cloth to clean gemstones
- Porous gemstones – turquoise, emeralds – must be cleaned with a dry, soft cloth only
Don’t
- Wear your jewellery in the shower or bath
- Wear your jewellery in chlorinated water
- Wear your jewellery at the beach or in the sea
- Spray perfume, deodorant or apply creams near your jewellery
- Clean your jewellery with tissue paper or kitchen towels as this can cause scratches
- Follow the above to help keep your silver jewellery in the best condition as you have bought it.
