How to clean and care for silver jewellery?
I think it’s time now. I have a list of questions/notes written in my diary and I wish to start answering some of the questions I get from my friends, family, and clients. I hope you find it interesting and useful!
For those, who have just landed on this page, I am Aelita, a professional jewellery designer/maker (read the story). Today, in February 2020, I work part-time for a family-run jewellery business where I learn a lot about fine jewellery, repairs, and watches. Alongside it, I am building my own jewellery brand – aelita jewellery.
Let’s start with the most popular question.
Right… ‘Aelita, how do I look after your jewellery?’
In this topic, I will cover my CHOCO range, which is hand-crocheted pieces.
‘Aelita, how do I look after your jewellery?’
I work with fine silver. It is 99% pure silver which is softer and it usually tarnishes slower than sterling silver. What’s the difference between sterling and fine silver? In its purity. Sterling silver which is commonly used in jewellery making and jewellery finding manufacturing is mixed with copper which makes it stronger. You can find a hallmark on your jewellery which says 925 – read it as a cocktail of 92.5% silver and 7.5% of other metals, usually copper. Fine silver helps me to do what I wish and achieve a look I am after. After some time and under certain conditions which I will cover later, copper ‘helps’ silver tarnish.
There is a large number of factors that make your silver jewellery tarnish and go black eventually.
I wouldn’t recommend taking a shower with your silver jewellery – wet and humid conditions - that’s when corrosion occurs. Also, silver jewellery is very sensitive to human sweat, so I would take all jewellery off before going to a gym. To be honest, I am a strong advocate of putting jewellery on just before you are leaving the house and taking it off as soon as you are back. I have this habit since childhood and I rarely clean any of my jewellery.
“To be honest, I am a strong advocate of putting jewellery on just before you are leaving the house and taking it off as soon as you are back.”
Perfumes, sprays and any other cosmetics can also affect a look of your silver jewellery. There is absolutely no need to do washing up, gardening and other household cleanings with your jewellery on. As someone who works in the industry and deals with many jewellery repairs, I can tell that you can avoid a large number of unnecessary repairs (read expenses). Try and wear your jewellery when it is needed to be worn. I know it sounds boring, but do you really need to sleep with it?
Something I learned quite recently and unfortunately there is not much you can do about it – jewellery does tarnish quite badly if you are taking strong medications (for example, people who suffer from diabetes). You might wonder why it is happening. I will explain. It comes down to chemicals (in medicines) that are coming out with sweat through the skin, and as a result, reacts with jewellery. As I said, there is not much you can do about it unfortunately. However, there are special cleaning products available on the market which you can buy and use.
One of my favourites is the Silver dip. It is a clear solution that will last for a long time but you need to make sure you check the expiry date and use it by then. I might be wrong but usually, it is about a year. This is something we use at work and I absolutely love it.
Below is a link for you to have a look (UK’s Amazon). It is a fantastic liquid that does magic.
You should understand that it won’t polish a surface and won’t get rid of scratches, it will only ‘eat’ tarnish. Don’t worry if it stinks badly - it means it does a job.
Wear gloves and treat this as chemicals, so be careful and don’t spill it on your clothes, skin, etc. Pour a little amount bit of this solution into a small container. Simply dip your silver jewellery for a couple of seconds and rinse it well in clean water. Feel free to repeat it a couple of times. Make sure you dry your jewellery properly on a clean towel. You can also use a hairdryer, but be gentle and don’t overheat it. It is important to make it dry before you put it away in your jewellery box etc.
IMPORTANT: don’t dip any jewellery with soft stones such as amber, pearls, opals, corals … (make sure you do a Google search before dipping any jewellery with stones) - you will ruin them. Pieces by aelita jewellery with pearls and vintage beads also can not be dipped.
“In the industry, we use a ‘dry couscous- like’ substance which nicely absorbs water. ”
In the industry, we use a ‘dry couscous- like’ substance which nicely absorbs water. Please don’t forget I am covering care for silver jewellery (also, not plated) in this topic. The Silver dip can be used for other metals but I will cover it later (if you find this post useful).
If you have a jewellery box, again, something I didn’t know before, make sure you don’t have any coins in it. We all know it might happen and an odd coin might end up in one of the sleeves. Again, your silver jewellery might tarnish quicker because of the chemical reactions. It is not only about love in the air you know! Ah, I personally won’t keep the box in a bathroom. Again, it’s too humid in there.
Also, you can get a soft cloth and polish your jewellery with it. Pro – easier to use and does work well for even, large scale surfaces. Get that shine back! Cons – you won’t get into those tricky corners, so will only clean it partly.
Again, there is a link for you:
Tip: when your cloth gets dirty, don’t worry and don’t wash it. We don’t want any chemicals from washing liquids to be left on it and go into reaction with your lovely jewellery.
With regards to caring for aelita jewellery, if you find your pieces get tarnished, I would certainly recommend investing in the Silver dip. But the trick is, the more you wear silver jewellery slower it will tarnish. I wear my dangle earrings almost daily since summer 2019 and it hasn’t changed aesthetically. Silver likes to be taking out.
Also, don’t apply too much force when polishing it with a cloth and I won’t recommend cleaning aelita jewellery CHOCO range with old toothbrush. It is simply unnecessary. Alright, guys, I will finish for now and would love to tell you more next time. Please let me know if it was any helpful and/or interesting. Your Like/ Comment below will be an indication for me to carry on and I will make sure I tell you more tips about looking after jewellery etc in the near future. Also, if you prefer it in a visual form as a video, let me know.
Love your jewellery and take it out!
Love your jewellery and take it out!
