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08.05.2008
As a precious metal, caring for your silver is an easy, but meticulous process. At the same time, however, you don’t want to leave your jewelry to hands of time, only to have them tarnish and rust with age. Simple care will avoid the hassles of attempting to restore jewelry that’s so far damaged that it is beyond repair, which would save you the pain of having to throw away unique handcrafted jewelry.• If there is no tarnish on your silver, use a phosphate-free detergent to clean it after use. Silver that is used then gently washed and dried immediately, will require seldom tarnish removal.
• When first noticed, tarnish is easily removed. It becomes increasingly difficult to remove as it eventually turns to black. Frequent light cleanings, (washing the object with a phosphate-free detergent), then drying with a soft cloth is better than waiting until the tarnish gets so difficult to remove that more abrasive polishes would be needed.
• When polishing or drying always use a clean, soft cotton cloth. Certain items may require a clean soft cotton ball.
• Rub the object in a straight, back-an-forth manner so to maintain a uniform appearance. Avoid rubbing in a circular motion.
• With the smallest amount of polish possible, use a large cotton ball and turn the surface being cleaned - avoid touching the non-silver portion, gemstone, or hollow part of the item with the polish. Wood, amber, precious stones, gems, and ivory insulators can easily be damaged.
• After cleaning, if you notice a purplish stain after cleaning your silver, do not attempt to remove it. This stain, (oxidized copper), is called firestain and is commonly found on many colonial through nineteenth century pieces. The stain develops in sterling silver when oxygen penetrates the outer surface during brazing, oxidizing the copper. Fine silver is left on the surface when acid chemically removes the oxidized copper. These pieces will show this stain after many years of polishing.
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May 22nd, 2008 at 4:04 am
Cleaning Your Silver Jewelry | My Silver Gems…
I love collecting silver and other fine gem jewelries and with that I never miss visiting this amazing store. All the collection at great prices simply eludes me to buy more. Check it out and see for yourself what all the exciting products that this …
June 23rd, 2008 at 2:29 am
Cleaning Your Silver Jewelry | My Silver Gems…
I make it a point to always find an accessory to put a punctuation mark to my every outfit. And the beautiful jewelries that this site offers make perfect compliments to almost every dress or apparel I wear….