The year is moving towards the end; it’s time for parties, friends and family gatherings, and holiday seasons. No party occasion is complete for women without jewelry; every woman loves their jewelry. It’s time to go through your closet and put on your precious jewelry. It’s time to party, and you can always wear your necklaces and bracelets or look through your closet for some of your favorite vintage jewelry.
Silver jewelry is a favorite of every woman and goes perfectly with party outfits. It is common for silver jewelry to oxidize, but this does not restrict you from wearing it.
There are many reasons why silver jewelry becomes oxidized. Still, the most common is because it is packed, and over time silver is exposed to elements such as air and water, causing a chemical reaction that leaves your jewelry oxidized or discolored.
However, you can easily clean your oxidized silver jewelry. Whether it’s your silver earrings, necklace, or bracelets, you can clean them with simple home remedies. Below is the best cleaning and polishing technique to transform your silver jewelry.
What Is 925 silver Jewellery?
Silver is one of the seven antiquity metals with a long historical presence. Although the origins of silver are unknown, it is believed that silver jewelry was among the most popular jewelry throughout history. Along with gold, silver jewelry is among the most popular and women’s favorite metals in the modern world.
When purchasing silver, you may have noticed that the metal is marked with the numerical figure 925. You may be wondering what it is. Pure silver is made entirely of silver, whereas 925 silver is sterling silver. Meaning sterling silver is a blend of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. This is the primary reason for the 925 hallmarks on silver jewelry.
Silver is made with a mixture of copper because it makes it harder and more durable without compromising the color and quality of silver. The maximum silver you buy and wear is sterling silver with a 925 hallmark. The availability of copper causes your silver jewelry to oxidize. However, it is easy to clean and polish your silver jewelry.
How To Clean Your Silver Jewellery?
You can clean your silver jewelry very easily by visiting the nearby jeweler or cleaning it easily at your home. Let’s look into one of the most effective home remedies that you can use to clean your jewelry:
Cleaning With Baking Soda
Step – 01: Make sure you have a large bowl and layered the bottom of the bowl with aluminum foil. Make sure that the bowl is deep, and you must be able to submerge the aluminum properly, or in short, you should cover the bowl completely.
Step – 02: Keep your silver jewelry on the aluminum foil that you want to clean. Make sure your silver jewelry touches the entire surface of the aluminum foil.
Step – 03: Lightly scatter baking soda over your jewelry, and ensure that you don’t cover your jewelry with baking soda; a small quantity will be more effective. If you completely cover your jewelry with baking soda, it may cause damage to your jewelry. For best results, scatter the soda underneath the jewelry.
Tips: If your silver jewelry has become tarnished, you can add a tablespoon of detergent powder over the silver jewelry.
Step – 04: Boil distilled water and make sure that the pot or the kettle is cleaned correctly. The technique will only be effective if your kettle or pot is properly cleaned. Use enough water to boil so that you can easily submerge the jewelry.
Tips:
- Thoroughly clean the kettle or pot with soap and water.
- Remember that leftover soap may have a spotty finish that can damage your jewelry, so clean it properly.
- Use only distilled water.
Step – 05: Pour boiling water over the silver jewelry until it is completely submerged. After completely immersing your jewelry in water, the silver will bubble and emit the strong odor of rotten eggs.
Tips: To prevent the smell from accumulating, open the windows or place the bowl under the vent or chimney.
Step – 06: Almost 1 minute later, use a wooden spoon to flip your silver jewelry so that both sides touch the aluminum foil. Check that your silver jewelry is in full contact with the foil. You can also use chopsticks to flip the silver properly.
Step – 07: Please pick up your silver jewelry with a wooden spoon or chopstick and place it on the sink. Make sure your sink is clean. To clean the solution on the jewelry, pour distilled water over the surface of the silver jewelry.
Step – 08: After removing the solution, wipe the silver with a soft cotton cloth to remove any remaining moisture. When your jewelry is completely dry, place it on a clean, dry, unused cotton cloth for at least 10-15 minutes.
Tip: Do not use wool polishing clothes on silver because they chemically react with it and will completely ruin your jewelry.
After your jewelry has dried, wipe the dry silver with a microfiber cloth to add more shine.
Step – 09: After your silver jewelry has dried completely, polish it with the silver polishing cloth. A silver polishing cloth can be easily purchased from any hardware store or home center. The polishing cloth can also be purchased online from any silver restoration website.
To enhance the shine, use silver polish, which can be purchased at any hardware store, jewelry store, or general store.
How To Care for Your Silver Jewellery From Oxidization
It is very common for your jewelry to oxidize, but you can prevent your silver jewelry from oxidizing by following a few simple steps:
Storage: Keeping your silver away from light, heat, and moisture is best. A soft cotton or felt-lined silverware box is perfect for storing silver jewelry. You can also purchase soft cotton or felt-lined silver container through online silver jewelry restoration.
Preventing From Moisture: Moisture is silver’s worst enemy, and because of it, your silver jewelry will tarnish faster than usual. When not in use, desiccating packets filled with silica gel can be used to store your silver. These desiccating packets are widely available at craft stores, general retailers, and hardware stores.
Silver Jewellery Should Not Be Exposed To Acidic Substances.
Most people advise you to wash or remove tarnish from your silver with lemon juice or vinegar, but the truth is that you should always keep your silver jewelry away from any acidic substance. You can clean your silver jewelry with lemon juice, but it is ineffective, and using an acidic substance will cause your jewelry to tarnish quickly. Never clean your silver jewelry with a cleaning product such as a handwash or soap.
Keep Silver Jewellery Away From Rubber, Latex, and Other Metals.
Rubber and latex have a strong chemical reaction with silver jewelry that can permanently damage it. Avoid storing your silver jewelry with other metals; doing so will cause your silver to oxidize faster.
Regularly Wear Your Silver Jewellery
Wearing your jewelry regularly is the most effective way to keep it from tarnishing because skin oils can help keep it clean and gleaming.
Don’t
Prevention is the key to beautiful silver jewelry. Silver jewelry looks very beautiful, but there are certain things that you must avoid to preserve the beauty of your silver jewelry.
- Never wear your silver jewelry in chlorinated water. Remove it before showering and also remove it during exercise.
- Avoid wearing it near things high in sulfur compounds, such as eggs and mayonnaise, because eggs and oils oxidize silver jewelry quickly.
- A china cabinet is an ideal place to keep your jewelry. It would be best if you stored your jewelry in a flannel-lined bag or cloth to extend the life of your pieces.
- After you’ve sprayed perfume and moisturized, it is advisable to only put on your jewelry.
Wrapping Up
There are several other methods to clean your oxidized silver jewelry. Still, after doing thorough research, we came to the conclusion that cleaning your silver jewelry with baking soda and hot water is the best method. It is a truly tested and tried method without compromising the quality of the silver.