Jewellery Care

Tips for looking after your precious metal jewellery

 

Tarnishing

Sterling silver is a precious metal that is prone to tarnishing.  Several things which will accelerate this process are;

  • Exposure to perfume, soap, hairspray and other chemicals (try to minimise this by putting jewellery on last or removing when in contact with other chemicals)
  • Exposure to salt water or chlorine in a swimming pool 
  • Perspiration
  • Exposure to extreme temperatures and humidity 
  • Leaving silver unprotected (it's best to store your jewellery when it's not being worn.  The tissue paper I enclose with orders is 'acid free' so this is particularly ideal for storing your jewellery). 

It is a good idea to store your jewellery separately from each other to prevent small surface scratches from occurring when they rub together and this will also prevent them from becoming entangled.  If you look after your jewellery it will continue to look beautiful for years to come.  I provide an anti tarnish care cloth with every order which is ideal for use on sterling silver.  Silver does tarnish with exposure to the air, but regularly using this care cloth will help prevent this and even when the cloth blackens it still works well.  Keep it in the plastic holder provided and do not wash it as this will remove its anti-tarnishing properties.  It can also be used to clean heavily tarnished pieces and instructions for use are also enclosed.

 

Additional cloths are also available for £2.80 on the website 'Polishing Cloth' page.  

Prevention / Removal

If your jewellery does become badly tarnished it should be noted that tarnishing is not a permanent effect on silver and can be removed.  It is also possible to retain/restore a high bright shine with the proper care in a number of ways as mentioned above.  If your jewellery has a build up of dirt and grime then a mild detergent and a soft toothbrush is a good way to remove this.

 

Please note that with regards to tarnish I do not recommend using Silver Dip.  It hastens the speed in which silver tarnishes afterwards as well as the possibility of pitting and damaging the metal in the process. 

 

An 'Ultra-Sonic' machine will thoroughly clean pieces, removing tarnish and any grime that has built up (even from areas that a cloth cannot reach).  However, it should be noted that pearls and some gemstones are not suitable for this.  To restore the ultimate in high shine finishes and also remove small surface scratches, it is preferable to use a combination of re-polishing with mops and various polishing compounds and using a 'ultra-sonic' machine.  These are services that I also provide so if you would like to discuss things further, please contact me to discuss your requirements.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.