Are you always enchanted by the sterling silver jewellery online and think about what exactly it is, how to wear it to ensure that it lasts long, how to properly clean it, and more queries, we’ve got all answers for your queries. Take a look at these 5 things, you must know about sterling silver jewellery, much before you embrace it regularly.
What Exactly is Sterling Silver?
When it comes to functional objects, pure silver is too soft to use. The resulting alloy is what we call as sterling silver today. Sterling silver is way harder than pure silver that makes it much durable.
Talking of Sterling silver, it is 92.5% pure silver, and is considered as a precious metal. The remaining 7.5% of the alloy is usually copper. This additional alloy helps add strength to preserve the ductility and appearance of the pure silver.
Why Sterling Silver Tarnishes?
If we talk chemically, then silver is not very reactive. However, it gets affected by some common things present in the atmosphere. If you expose silver to sulfuric airborne compounds, you will find black tarnish slowly appearing on it.
When silver is exposed to low-level ozone, it results in the formation of silver oxide. But, you need not worry, as you can polish the solid sterling silver jewellery to help remove tarnish and your jewellery pieces like the Sterling Silver Evil Eye Bracelet will look good as new!
How Should You Care for Your Sterling Silver Jewellery?
You might have come across situations that your latest silver jewellery would have turned black if not given much attention to.
As already talked about, sulphur + silver = black tarnish. Use a polish cloth to quickly remove the blackness and let your jewellery shine again
Care Tips to Keep Sterling Silver Jewellery Properly:
- Ideally, you should keep all your sterling silver or even normal silver jewellery in a low-humidity environment.
- Ensure to keep all the jewellery dry and clean, when you’re not wearing it.
- Preferably, try keeping the jewellery in some airtight container. There will be fewer chances of the silver jewellery reacting and getting tarnished. To prevent future tarnish, you can even place silica gel bags or activated charcoal bags in the storage area.
- You can even use anti-tarnishing papers and bags available in the market to help discourage the tarnishing of your sterling silver jewellery.
Ways to Clean and Remove Tarnish from Sterling Silver
Method 1: Home Remedy
Opt for a nontoxic electrochemical dip! For this method, place aluminum foil at the bottom of a glass baking dish—next, full steaming hot water in the foil-lined container. Then, in the water, add 1 tsp. salt and 2 tsp. Baking soda.
The next step is to drop the silver jewellery in the container so that they are resting on the foil while touching each other, and you’ll see that the black tarnishing will slowly disappear like magic.
Remove the dipped silver, and you’ll find it all clean and mew. Leave heavy silver tarnished items dipped in the solution for up to 5 minutes.
Finally, rinse the silver with water and dry it with a soft towel.
Method 2: Elbow Grease
In this method, you hand polish your sterling silver jewellery with a soft cloth and precious metal cleaner. This technique can even be used to preserve the older pieces’ unique patinas. Pro tip: Always be gentle, as harsh polishing and aggressive buffing can devalue your precious jewellery piece and permanently damage it.
Method 3: Polishing or Cleaning Products
Polish Cloth: There’s a cloth called the sunshine cloth that is just perfect to clean up silver pieces or jewellery. It is basically a soft yellow cloth, which removes tarnish quite quickly and easily.
Polish Creams: This method involves the use of various polishing compounds designed specifically for cleaning sterling silver.
Most creams that you rub on and then wipe off usually offer some added benefits of leaving behind some extra tarnish resistance.
Judging if Something is Actually Silver
If you are purchasing something commercially, be it online or offline, check for the markings. Check if the items save markings or stamps of 925 or .925 sterling silver on the jewellery pieces. At times, you can also look for other markings like words “sterling,” “sterling silver,” or “ster” will be stamped, or even the initials “ss” can be found.
There is a possibility that there are no markings on the silver pieces many times. But this doesn’t mean that it is not sterling. For example, if you get it from some smaller makers or get some handmade pieces, then they might not be stamped. In such cases, to check the authenticity, the best method is to perform a test by holding a magnet near the item. If the magnet attracts the item, then you should be assured that the silver used is not sterling silver. This is because sterling silver is never magnetic.