Authored by Jody Morse in Jewelry
Published on 08-14-2009
When you have any piece of jewelry, it is important to know how to properly clean it. Most people consider sterling silver jewelry more difficult to clean than other types of jewelry. Unlike other types of jewelry, sterling silver is known to turn black after it is worn many times. Here are some of the things that you should know about how to clean sterling silver.
The first thing that you will want to do to clean sterling silver jewelry is place it on a sheet of aluminum foil. You can lay the aluminum foil on top of a counter or on a pan, but a bowl would be a much more suitable option. Make a mixture of one cup mildly warm water and one tablespoon of baking soda. You will want to double the mixture if you have more than one piece of sterling silver jewelry that needs cleaning.
Once you have created a mixture, the next thing that you are going to need to do is pour it onto the sterling silver jewelry. It is important to make sure that the entire piece of sterling silver gets completely covered by the baking soda and water solution. This will ensure that the whole entire piece of jewelry gets cleaned.
Many people believe that the best way to clean sterling silver jewelry is to use massive amounts of baking soda or toothpaste. Both of these ingredients are known to be excellent cleaners for sterling silver jewelry. However, it is important to keep in mind that both baking soda and toothpaste are very harsh. Unless it is used very carefully, it is possible for the sterling silver to become damaged by these specific cleaners. This is why it is important to make a mixture when you intend to clean sterling silver.
If you are cleaning sterling silver jewelry that has a gemstone, it is important to read about how to clean that specific type of stone. Since certain types of gemstones tend to be more sensitive than others, they may have special cleaning instructions. This is very important if you want to prevent your gemstones from experiencing any type of damage that may alter their color or overall appearance.
Since sterling silver jewelry is known to get dirtier quicker than other types of jewelry, it is best to do all that you can to prevent it from needing to be cleaned. Removing jewelry when exercising, doing any type of household cleaning, and entering pools or hot tubs is a very good idea. These are some of the situations in which jewelry is known to accumulate the greatest amounts of dirt, and when sterling silver jewelry may be more likely to tarnish.
Cleaning sterling silver jewelry can seem very challenging to some people, but it really does not need to be. With the proper cleaning solution, it can be very easy to clean this type of jewelry. While it is common for sterling silver to require more frequent cleanings than other types of metals that jewelry is normally made from, preventative measures can be taken to ensure that it does not get too dirty.
