Protect and Maintain Your Sterling Silver Jewelry and Hardware Before You Lose It

Sterling Silver 101: The comprehensive guide toSterling silver should ideally be stored in treated paper
understanding and maintaining your jewelry and silveror cloth, or plastic film.
cutleryThe effort and cost which you incur in cleaning your
Pure silver is by nature, extremely soft and mallaeable,sterling silver should be determined firstly by the value
and hence unsuitable in the manufacture of jewelryyou have placed on it, whether monetary or
& other accessories. Bracelets, rings, pendantssentimental, & secondly, the intricacy or depth of
and other silver jewelry pieces cannot reasonably bethe pattern. Silver with deeply carved patterns that are
crafted from pure silver without the presence of alloyenhanced by an oxide or French gray finish should be
metal additives to buttress its atomic structure. To usehand-polished with a commercial grade silver cream or
silver as a commercially viable metal, it has to bepolish.
alloyed with copper to increase its hardness. Due toHand rubbing develops what is commonly known as
the close natural resemblance between both metals,"patina on silver" which adds to its beauty. Ornamental
the combination chemical process can be executedsilver pieces that are lacquered must be washed in
without substantially affecting the stretchability andlukewarm water rather than hot water, as hot water
beauty of the silver. However, as the level of purity ofcould potentially cause damage or erosion of the
silver decreases, the thorny issue of tarnishing arises,lacquer. Polishing silver while wearing rubber gloves is a
giving rise to the need to find a suitable equilibriumcardinal sin. Don't do it! Instead, choose plastic or cotton
balance between the percentage content of Silver andgloves.
the cheaper metal (whether Aluminum, Copper, SteelSilver is vulnerable to certain reagents. Rubber is one
or Brass) used in the alloy cocktail.material which can cause severe corrosion to silver.
The optimal solution, as discovered by expert chemists,The damage can become so severe that only a
is sterling silver: an alloy of silver containing 92.5% bysilversmith would be able to repair the damage, albeit
mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals,with a severe wasteful loss of silver mass. Embossed
usually Copper, Steel or Brass. The sterling silverdesigns are beyond help, and will be lost permanently.
standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925 (ie:Storage chests with rubber seals, rubber floor
92.5% purity). Since the percentage purity of sterlingcoverings and rubber bands are strict no-nos.
silver remains high, sterling silver is the most suitableOther deadly enemies of silver include table salt, olives,
material for use in the manufacture of expensivesalad dressing, eggs, vinegar and fruit juices. Essentially
luxury jewelry and top grade luxury cutlery used byanything which contains food acids. If you treasure
highly affluent and successful individuals.your cutlery, serve even mildly acidic foods in china or
Chemically, silver is not reactive-it does not react easilyglass containers rather than your precious silver
with oxygen or water at ordinary conditions oftableware. Although flowers and fruit really do look
temperature, and so does not easily form thelovely in silverware, the carbonic acids produced as
problematic silver oxide layer, which appears as a dull,they decay can etch the containers and cause serious
powdery white coating over the surface of pure silver,damage. If you really want to use silver containers, use
obscuring its beauty. However, sterling silver is not aplastic protective liners.
compound, and other metals in the alloy, usually copper,Baking Soda and Toothpaste: For cleaning with
will react with atmospheric oxygen, tarnishing thetoothpaste, smear the silver layer with toothpaste, then
overall appearance of the sterling silver alloy. The goodrun it under lukewarm water, work it into a foam, then
news, however, is that tarnish is easily reversible byrinse it off. For stubborn stains or intricate grooves
polishing: a process which chemically dissolves andunreachable by hand, use an old soft-bristled
removes the surface coat of CuO obscuring the brighttoothbrush.
sheen of the underlying alloy. The one-step reversibilityFor Baking Soda, create a paste of baking soda and
of the tarnish has resulting in 925 sterling silverwater. Rub, rinse, and polish dry with a soft cloth
becoming the benchmark of consumer choice inpreferably cotton. To remove corrosion from
jewelry craftsmanship.silverware, sprinkle baking soda on a wet cloth and rub
Sterling Silver's beauty increases with use, whichit on the silverware until rust is removed. Rinse, then
causes a patina or soft sheen layer to form over thedry well.
jewelry body. Plated silver is silver that has beenTo find out more about sterling silver and more
plated through the process of electrolysis over anothercomprehensive ways of preserving its beauty, visit
metal. Rusting occurs more quickly in damp and foggyChrome Hearts.
weather, but is ultimately inevitable in any climate.