The popularity of silver items can hardly be overestimated. Their affordability and elegance attract millions of jewelry lovers. The sheen of silver can often rival the even, warm shade of gold. But how do you keep your silver jewelry presentable? Such seemingly uncomplicated jewelry also requires special care and attention from its owners. What do you need to know to make your silver look worthy?
Prevent blackening
Any silverware is very sensitive to any secretions of the human body. The primary catalyst for color change is the ingress of sweat on your jewelry. This is why it is recommended that you leave your silver in the locker room during workouts and other intense physical activities.
Other hormonal changes can also affect the condition of your favorite pendants and chains. For example, during major changes in the body in pregnant women, there is a significant jump in hormones. And those who move to an area with a more humid climate may notice how silver rapidly loses its natural color.
There are also more mystical explanations for the darkening of jewelry made from this metal. There is an opinion that it is silver that takes the blow from otherworldly influences. So, if literally in one day your jewelry has faded, then you have been damaged, or you have become the target of a serious evil eye. But whether or not to believe in this is up to you. In any case, any jewelry requires meticulous care and careful wearing.
Ammonia and hydrogen peroxide
How to quickly clean silver from blackness? Few in which home you will not find first aid for injuries or burns. So, ammonia or hydrogen peroxide will surely end up in your home medicine cabinet.
They will help you return things made of silver to their former beauty. But besides the benefits, these substances can cause irreparable harm. Only items made of pure silver can be sent to the mixture of peroxide and ammonia. The presence of any other impurities will almost certainly guarantee you even more darkening or a matte finish.
Both ingredients specified for cleaning are highly volatile, so it is better to choose dishes with a tight-fitting lid for the cleaning procedure. Then add each component in equal proportions and leave the silver items for 20-25 minutes. After that, we rinse them under running water while wiping them with a sponge. The result will not be long in coming!
Vinegar and citric acid
Those who have learned only the basics from medicine, but are much better versed in cooking, should understand that you can find something suitable for cleaning silver on the shelves with essential ingredients. First, you can use acetic acid. Not even an essence is suitable here, but an ordinary solution of 6-9%.
A small amount of low-strength vinegar must be warmed up before processing. After that, armed with a small towel, you can carefully rub all the jewelry made of your favorite metal. Rinse off the vinegar with water, and you will see a result that will surely amaze you.
Citric acid works just as well. Taking 0.5 liters of water and adding 90-100 g of citric acid there, you can safely send the mixture to a water bath, dropping all the silver there. In 10-15 minutes, the brightness of the metal will delight you.
Modern technologies
Do not forget that technology also does not stand still and allows us to enjoy the look of our favorite jewelry every new day, forgetting that they were purchased several weeks or months ago.
Turning to professional jewelers, you can count on services such as:
- Delicate steam treatment;
- Ultrasonic cleaning.
In the first case, you can count on the basic polishing of the jewelry, which removes all unnecessary deposits from the product itself. Ultrasound destroys the unwanted dark film from the silver surface and postpones its future appearance. But devices for these two procedures are found only in professional jewelry stores and are not available to the average man in the street.
If you decide to give your jewelry for professional processing, then do not forget that jewelers also process each product after their work with special napkins, which are almost impossible for customers to buy on their own. It is they who guarantee that your jewelry will not get dusty and darkened for a long time.
Blackening protection
In order to give your favorite jewelry to strangers for cleaning as rarely as possible, you need to understand how to protect it from the appearance of black spots. The most effective and common folk remedy is egg yolk processing.
For this procedure, you need to dilute 2 egg yolks in a small amount of running water. Then take a cotton swab and process all the silver with the resulting mass, not forgetting the bends. This protection will help the garments stay shiny under the influence of human sweat, and the dark layer will appear much later.
If you have at your disposal a large, silver piece without bends, then you can protect it from external influences with the help of ordinary, transparent varnish, which is sold in almost every cosmetic store. You can apply the product without fear in a thick layer. It will not be difficult to remove it in the future, and it will not damage the silver item in any way. Acetone will only add shine to real silver and help the owner identify a fake.
So, understanding the basics and subtleties of caring for silver items, you can be sure that your jewelry will always remain sparkling and eye-catching! It is by no means worth generalizing such methods of care. Each metal and gem requires specific methods and techniques.
Therefore, before purchasing them, you should familiarize yourself with the materials indicated in the price list. You don’t want to become the owner of “disposable” jewelry, do you?!
