Sterling Silver Jewelry Care

www.sterling-silver.ws. What a great resource for information and silver care!!!

Silver has long been used as a means of decorating both home and individuals. In the early days, Silver jewelry was pure silver, but because of it’s pliable, soft nature silver often lost it’s shape or was easily damaged. Thus, sterling silver was produced. Sterling is .925 pure silver mixed with other metals such as copper and zinc. This mixture is much better for making jewelry. Sterling Silver Jewelry is harder, more durable, & very easy to clean and take care of.

To clean silver, there are four methods besides professional jewelry cleaning.

1. In the first method, you simply wipe the silver with a jeweler’s cloth made for that purpose.

2. Second is what I use most often & is the simplest for the results you get. Take baking soda, Dawn Dish Soap, a soft tooth brush and scrub gently. It really works well for me!

3. For the third method, you will need an aluminum pie pan, baking soda, salt, and boiling water. First, take an aluminum pie pan and just add 2-3 inches of boiling water, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon baking soda. The mixture will begin to fizz. Add the silver jewelry, making sure the water covers the silver pieces. Remove silver, rinse, dry, and buff with a soft cloth. This method works great without harming semi-precious gems.

4. The fourth method involves the use of white thick toothpaste. Please do not use gels! To clean off tarnish, coat the silver with a little drop of toothpaste, then run it under warm water, work it into a lather and rinse. You can use an old toothbrush for this method. This method provides minimal cleaning.