Silver jewelry of any kind is subject to oxidization, a process by which the metal darkens and looses its shine. This not a sign of poor quality, it is the way this metal behaves with time and exposure to air. It must be cleaned in order to keep its original beauty.
Cleaning of sterling silver jewelry or silver plated jewelry is exactly the same. There are on the market many products available at most jewelry stores that you can use to clean your jewelry.
Many well known brands of chemical cleaners are available on the market. Most of them will do a more than adequate job of restoring your jewelry to its original luster, but should be restricted to jewelry without stones.
For earrings or jewelry with semi-precious stones, it is best to steer away from harsh chemicals. There are special silver cleaning cloths, sold in many jewelry stores that can clean earrings with stones. You can rub the silver with the cloth to restore its luster.
But my grand-mother taught me a few tricks that worked very well for oxidized silver. They are simple, do not damage the metal et are cheaper than buying oftentimes expensive products.
Trick number 1: Lay the earrings on a bath towel. You will need a little toothpaste and a soft toothbrush. Roll a little bit of toothpaste between your fingers and apply it to the silver earrings. Follow this immediately with a gentle scrub with the toothbrush. It is not necessary to scrub hard. Scrub the entire the piece but avoid to scrub the stones. If you rubbed the stones it is not too bad, so do not worry about it. When you are done, rinse your jewelry in warm water. Dry it with the towel and you can again enjoy shiny silver.
The second trick is to use a lemon cut in half. You can rub the silver with a piece of lemon then rinse well with warm water and dry with a soft cloth. Nothing is easier.
The third trick makes use of aluminum foil, that most of us have in the house. You will wrap the earrings in aluminum foil and submerge them in a pan of water to which you added salt. Bring the water to boil and let it boil for about five minutes. Open the foil, rinse the jewelry and your earrings should look like new.
Should your jewelry be excessively tarnished a little glass cleaning product readily available in your home or local market will do the trick nicely.
One note of caution, do not use the ultrasonic appliances that are sold for the purpose of cleaning jewelry. These can severely damage your silver. Silver is very affordable metal for jewelry, it is beautiful and with these tips I hope that you will enjoy your earrings for a long time.
Cleaning of sterling silver jewelry or silver plated jewelry is exactly the same. There are on the market many products available at most jewelry stores that you can use to clean your jewelry.
Many well known brands of chemical cleaners are available on the market. Most of them will do a more than adequate job of restoring your jewelry to its original luster, but should be restricted to jewelry without stones.
For earrings or jewelry with semi-precious stones, it is best to steer away from harsh chemicals. There are special silver cleaning cloths, sold in many jewelry stores that can clean earrings with stones. You can rub the silver with the cloth to restore its luster.
But my grand-mother taught me a few tricks that worked very well for oxidized silver. They are simple, do not damage the metal et are cheaper than buying oftentimes expensive products.
Trick number 1: Lay the earrings on a bath towel. You will need a little toothpaste and a soft toothbrush. Roll a little bit of toothpaste between your fingers and apply it to the silver earrings. Follow this immediately with a gentle scrub with the toothbrush. It is not necessary to scrub hard. Scrub the entire the piece but avoid to scrub the stones. If you rubbed the stones it is not too bad, so do not worry about it. When you are done, rinse your jewelry in warm water. Dry it with the towel and you can again enjoy shiny silver.
The second trick is to use a lemon cut in half. You can rub the silver with a piece of lemon then rinse well with warm water and dry with a soft cloth. Nothing is easier.
The third trick makes use of aluminum foil, that most of us have in the house. You will wrap the earrings in aluminum foil and submerge them in a pan of water to which you added salt. Bring the water to boil and let it boil for about five minutes. Open the foil, rinse the jewelry and your earrings should look like new.
Should your jewelry be excessively tarnished a little glass cleaning product readily available in your home or local market will do the trick nicely.
One note of caution, do not use the ultrasonic appliances that are sold for the purpose of cleaning jewelry. These can severely damage your silver. Silver is very affordable metal for jewelry, it is beautiful and with these tips I hope that you will enjoy your earrings for a long time.
About the Author:
Drop earrings are some of the beautiful things that Charlotte Adelman talks about on her site earringsexpress.com. To learn more about silver earrings or to know how to choose the right earrings for your eyes visit her website earringsexpress.
