Caring for Sterling Silver Jewelry

Caring for Sterling Silver Jewelry

By Jack Shafer

Sterling silver jewelry is always a silver which is 92.5% pure. It consists of 925 pieces of pure silver and 75 parts alloy, usually copper. Sterling silver jewelry is always the hallmark of silver on it, sometimes accompanied with the name of the designer or manufacturer of jewelry. The word "excellent" is the most respected in the jewelry business today. Since pure silver by itself is soft, other metals e.g. copper is added to it, to give the silver its added stiffness and other qualities. The resulting mixture is composed of 925 parts of pure silver in every 1000. This proportion never varies. It is set by law. This is known as the pound sterling and is often mistakenly referred to as solid silver.

Sterling silver jewelry is made of sterling silver, a white and highly reflective precious metal. It is of superior quality, reflecting in its look and feel. Although less durable than stainless steel and different precious metals, sterling silver is often employed in watches that coordinate or appear sterling jewelry. A protective layer can be added to preclude tarnishing. Sterling silver jewelry is not cheap, but it is not unattainable. It looks very distinctive and can be easily distinguished. No doubt reflection glossy of jewelry, one of its brands.

It adds a sophisticated charm to your personality. Sterling silver jewelry is very elegant and offers an incredible elegance to your entire look. The seal of quality food, along with the elegant sophistication makes it a wonderful "must have" product. It is a very versatile embellishment that crosses completely barriers of age, cast, creed etc. It can be used by anyone whether young or old. Some care must be taken with the sterling silver jewelry that you own. The jewelry does not tarnish with time. Tarnish silver begins as a yellow dye and is more easily removed at this stage. Silver is moving to a cloud layer blackish purple to be much more difficult to remove. Prolonged, unprotected storage is generally when there is tarnish.

In general, do not seem to blur into jewelry that is placed on a regular basis. The soft touch of the contact and the use of oils in the skin is probably to keep your jewelry bright and sparkling. Note, however, that taking certain drugs can cause changes in the skin and can cause heartburn tarnish jewelry.

To exercise good care of money, keep your jewelry tarnish free for frequent cleaning. A simple diluted solution of mild liquid dishwashing and water can clean your silver jewelry. You can make your own cleaner by putting 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 tablespoons of salt in an aluminum pan - make sure? S aluminum that? S what makes this work - adding hot water, add and leave your silver tarnished. A "magic" chemistry eliminates tarnishing. Then rinse and wipe dry.The presence of moisture to promote tarnish, if possible, store your jewelry in a zip-loc plastic bag with anti-tarnish paper.

Light tarnish or oxidation film can be removed with silver polishing cloths. You can find them in supermarkets, hardware stores or jewelry. Heavy tarnishing will require commercially available polishing creams, liquids, or immersion. Be careful with them, limiting the exposure of gemstones to silver cleaners as they may contain chemicals that can modify many gemstones. Always rinse and dry jewelry completely. I found that using a hair dryer works very well to assure removal of moisture. Use a soft cloth to assure no residual cleaner remains.

Note: Cream bath liquid waxes and most probably remove the tarnish and oxidation of their jewelry. Likewise, most remove any doubt, decorative designs and patinas of rust too. Therefore, it is better to keep these issues without tarnishing through proper storage and use of cleaning cloths. BUT stay away cleaning with a tissue of silver. Believe it or not, the tissues can scratch your silver.

Avoid contact with abrasive soaps, jewelry, chemicals, perfumes, hair sprays, dyes, etc. Remove your jewelry while washing, bathing, doing dishes, doing housework or cleaning with chemicals. The silver metal is relatively soft and can scratch, so you do not scrub with a cloth or abrasive cleaners. Remove your jewelry before doing strenuous activities, exercise, sports, swimming (both salt water ocean or swimming pools with chlorine) to preclude scratches, dents or loss of precious stones. Remove jewelry before going to bed to stay away breaking or kinking.

Sterling silver jewelry has an air of class, style and sophistication that surrounds it. It is a wonderful thing to own property and to give people that matters. It says a lot about your personality and taste. The use of sterling silver jewelry can immediately increase their over-all. Available for both men and women is one of the important pieces of jewelry to keep in your collection. Its versatile look allows it to be used for numerous occasions, and the feeling and the texture is very fashionable and glamorous. Knowing many of the features of silver and having a bit of attention, your silver jewelry can give you a lifetime of enjoyment.

Source: EzineArticles