Clutches for Less

Posts Tagged ‘sterling silver jewelry’

Because of its complex designs and exquisite structure, sterling silver earrings are one of the hardest jewelry pieces to clean. Unlike rings that have more simplistic embellishments, earrings have drops and often inlays of semi-precious stones that make cleaning a daunting task.  If your silver earrings get stained your most likely choice is professional cleaning that cost so much. Here are methods to clean your silver earrings and any other intricately designed jewelry.

Sterling silver gets stained because of a chemical reaction that takes place when silver interacts with the substance sulfur, which can be found in the atmosphere. Silver sulfide is the dark substance that forms in the surface of the silver. Using polishing solution, this dark substance on the silver’s surface can be removed. But do you know that during the polishing process you are actually losing parts of your silver jewelry to all the rubbing and polishing.

Here is the good news, you can clean your sterling silver earrings without rubbing and without hurting the earring’s delicate construction. This solution is so simple and so easy to do that you will wonder why you never heard of it before. With the wonders of science and basic chemistry, in particular, the glitter and the elegant look of your jewelries will never be lost again. The best thing about it is that all the ingredients in the cleaning solution is right in your kitchen and they only cost a fraction of what you will spend on professional cleaning.

Get an aluminium foil and wrap inside the bottom of your glass or solid plastic container. Pour on the container with boiling, hot water, enough to cover the jewelry pieces and mix with a few tablespoons of washing soda or sodium carbonate. When the washing soda dissolves in hot water place the jewelleries inside the container and let them rest on the aluminum foil. Ensure that the jewelries are not on top of one another, as in a heap, and they are laid out flat on the bottom, on the foil. You will notice that the solution will immediately get bubbly and a steamy vapor that emits a foul smell in the likeness of rotten eggs. Let the jewelries stay there for about one minute, then bring them out and rinse with cold water. After this short process, your sterling silver earrings will have its old glitter and elegance restored.

Proper care and storage of your sterling silver earrings will assure you that they last a lifetime. Drop by http://www.overstocksilver.com/ for more tips on how to keep your silver jewelries beautiful and shiny, along the way you may be in for a big surprise to find new jewelry pieces that you are dreaming about.

One of my passions is silver jewelries and I own a collection of them. It all started when I was in high school, around 10 years ago, when I had this penchant to buy these jewelries. There are several sterling silver necklaces that I own, and I seldom wear them because of its outdated look, which I safely stored in a jewelry box. To my dismay, when I opened them out last week, I had the biggest surprise of my life.  I was so taken aback to see that most of my precious sterling silver jewelries had turned to black. My initial  reaction was to think that I had been duped.  That these jewelry pieces were fakes. I took them all out and went to a  local jeweler to have them looked over, turns out they just tarnished over time.

I got curious about how this happened and what can be done to prevent it. I did some research over the Internet and found  out that sulfur, a very common substance makes the smooth brilliant coating of our sterling silver jewelries to tarnish and become  black as the night. I went back to the jeweler to confirm this and he was generous enough to provide me with some tips on how to handle my sterling silver necklaces for long term storage. Some valuable advice were also given on the best ways to clean the sterling jewelries to keep them beautiful and dazzling.

First off, make sure that your jewelries are always clean. Everyday, wash them with soap and tap water but make sure you thoroughly dry before storing them in your jewelry box. You can also use metal polish once a week but not  the kind with granules as they can damage the shiny finish of your sterling jewelries. Now in the event that the jewelries become tarnished, what then is your next step? In this case, let a professional clean the jewelry for you and your local jeweler will always be your best friend here. However if you’re on a tight budget a home cleaning solution is your best bet. Mix some baking soda with water and  here you can boil your sterling silver necklaces or any other sterling silver jewelry in a pyrex container.

Secondly, if you intend to store your jewelries for the night you can simply put in your jewelry box so you can access it  easily the following day.  For long term storage, ensure that your sterling silver necklaces are completely cleaned and dried, fully wrapped in tissue and put in airtight receptables. If you are wondering  why they need to be in airtight containers, the experts say that sulfur can be airborne and to be sure your sterling silver jewelries will be protected from tarnishing you need to keep them in airtight containers.

Sterling silver necklaces have characteristically fluid and shiny finish, special attention to these items will result to long lasting luster of your jewelries. For more ideas on how to properly care for your silver jewelries and to discover latest styles available please visit http://www.overstocksilver.com/.