Handmade Silver Jewelry
Your handmade silver jewelry is easy to care for if you follow a few simple steps. Although sterling silver is harder and more scratch resistant than fine (pure) silver, it is still a soft metal and subject to scratches, dents and bending. Taking care in the storage of your handmade silver jewelry is the first step in keeping it bright and beautiful.
We recommend that you store your sterling silver jewelry so that it isn't loose and in contact with other articles, like in a loose drawer or jewelry box. To reduce tarnish and keep your pieces tarnish and scratch free, we recommend that you keep your sterling silver jewelry in a protective bag made of tarnish proof cloth or, even better, you can use a plastic zip lock bag made of Mylar (turkey cooking bags) or polyethylene.
We store and ship our jewelry in zip-lock bags that are perfect for this. Zip-lock bags work well for storing your sterling silver jewelry; most jewelry stores keep their stock this way. Ideally, a clean, soft, 100% cotton flannel cloth wrapped around your jewelry inside a zip-lock bag would be the best; cushioning the piece and protecting it against moisture and the air. Do not store your handmade silver jewelry in contact with wood surfaces, some woods can contain acids that can mar the finish. Always keep your pieces wrapped and protected.
Dirt left over from previous cleaning can scratch the surface. It is always wise to remove light dirt, fingerprints or makeup; using a small amount of mild liquid dish soap with warm water, and a soft bristle brush, like a horsehair silver brush. After washing, rinse thoroughly with clean fresh water. Dry it completely, then just polish lightly with your soft cotton cloth.
Never use anything but a clean 100% cotton, a special sterling silver cleaning cloth or very soft bristle brush, like a horsehair silver brush when cleaning your silver jewelry. Paper or coarse, synthetic fabrics will often cause scratches in the surface of your fine sterling silver jewelry; avoid them. Remember, silver is a very soft metal and can be scratched if you aren't gentle; so don't try to scrub tough dirt away, a good soak in warm water and light detergent should loosen most stubborn dirt.
There are many ultra sonic cleaners on the market designed specifically for use with jewelry. Read the instructions and documents that come with you machine. You'll want to know if the solution is safe for sterling silver. The rapid vibrations, and solutions used, can damage some more delicate gem-stones. Some recommend the use of ammonia and other strong solvents, I would recommend against those.
Cleaning heavily tarnished silver is subject with as many home recipes and concoctions as curing the common cold. Tarnish is silver sulfide, a chemical compound, and it is remedied a chemical process. Silver dips usually contain chemicals to break down the bond between the silver and sulphur. Pastes usually contain these chemicals with mild abrasives to help polish away the residue after the tarnish is reversed. Many of these chemicals can be harmful to stones such as turquoise and opal and great care must be taken when using them.
The process of polishing, simply put, is abrading the material to be polished with ever decreasing sizes of scratches, until those scratches appear to have disappeared. Polishes contain minute abrasive particles. When polishing with paste or other products a light touch is imperative. Take care to use the same soft cloth or brush as you would in cleaning.
We are not recommending any silver polishes or dips here; there are just too many good ones out there for you to choose from. It would be a disservice to you, our customers, and to the producers of fine silver-care products to recommend one above another, that perhaps, we had not tried.
When shopping for a polish or cleaner read the package determine if it is designed for use with silver jewelry. Those that claim you can just dip your silver to make it like new are usually over-stating their case just a bit. Polishing heavily tarnished silver, after removing the tarnish, is always going to include a small bit of hand work on your part. I prefer a good silver paste and then a light detergent cleaning afterwards.
Remember, wearing your silver jewelry often is one of the best ways of avoiding seriously tarnished pieces there is.
Storing Handmade Silver Jewelry
We recommend that you store your sterling silver jewelry so that it isn't loose and in contact with other articles, like in a loose drawer or jewelry box. To reduce tarnish and keep your pieces tarnish and scratch free, we recommend that you keep your sterling silver jewelry in a protective bag made of tarnish proof cloth or, even better, you can use a plastic zip lock bag made of Mylar (turkey cooking bags) or polyethylene.
We store and ship our jewelry in zip-lock bags that are perfect for this. Zip-lock bags work well for storing your sterling silver jewelry; most jewelry stores keep their stock this way. Ideally, a clean, soft, 100% cotton flannel cloth wrapped around your jewelry inside a zip-lock bag would be the best; cushioning the piece and protecting it against moisture and the air. Do not store your handmade silver jewelry in contact with wood surfaces, some woods can contain acids that can mar the finish. Always keep your pieces wrapped and protected.
Cleaning Handmade Silver Jewelry
Dirt left over from previous cleaning can scratch the surface. It is always wise to remove light dirt, fingerprints or makeup; using a small amount of mild liquid dish soap with warm water, and a soft bristle brush, like a horsehair silver brush. After washing, rinse thoroughly with clean fresh water. Dry it completely, then just polish lightly with your soft cotton cloth.
Never use anything but a clean 100% cotton, a special sterling silver cleaning cloth or very soft bristle brush, like a horsehair silver brush when cleaning your silver jewelry. Paper or coarse, synthetic fabrics will often cause scratches in the surface of your fine sterling silver jewelry; avoid them. Remember, silver is a very soft metal and can be scratched if you aren't gentle; so don't try to scrub tough dirt away, a good soak in warm water and light detergent should loosen most stubborn dirt.
Using Ultra Sonic Cleaners.
There are many ultra sonic cleaners on the market designed specifically for use with jewelry. Read the instructions and documents that come with you machine. You'll want to know if the solution is safe for sterling silver. The rapid vibrations, and solutions used, can damage some more delicate gem-stones. Some recommend the use of ammonia and other strong solvents, I would recommend against those.
Cleaning Tarnished Silver Jewelry
Cleaning heavily tarnished silver is subject with as many home recipes and concoctions as curing the common cold. Tarnish is silver sulfide, a chemical compound, and it is remedied a chemical process. Silver dips usually contain chemicals to break down the bond between the silver and sulphur. Pastes usually contain these chemicals with mild abrasives to help polish away the residue after the tarnish is reversed. Many of these chemicals can be harmful to stones such as turquoise and opal and great care must be taken when using them.
Notes On Polishing Handmade Silver Jewelry
The process of polishing, simply put, is abrading the material to be polished with ever decreasing sizes of scratches, until those scratches appear to have disappeared. Polishes contain minute abrasive particles. When polishing with paste or other products a light touch is imperative. Take care to use the same soft cloth or brush as you would in cleaning.
We are not recommending any silver polishes or dips here; there are just too many good ones out there for you to choose from. It would be a disservice to you, our customers, and to the producers of fine silver-care products to recommend one above another, that perhaps, we had not tried.
When shopping for a polish or cleaner read the package determine if it is designed for use with silver jewelry. Those that claim you can just dip your silver to make it like new are usually over-stating their case just a bit. Polishing heavily tarnished silver, after removing the tarnish, is always going to include a small bit of hand work on your part. I prefer a good silver paste and then a light detergent cleaning afterwards.
Wear Your Handmade Silver Jewelry
Remember, wearing your silver jewelry often is one of the best ways of avoiding seriously tarnished pieces there is.
