We often get asked what is the best way to clean sterling silver jewellery and particularly when embellished with gemstones so here are our “best practices”.
Firstly, sterling silver (also known as 925 silver) is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Combining silver with copper makes silver more functional and durable to mould into jewellery.
Storage
How you store your jewellery is perhaps more important than cleaning. This will help minimise how much it tarnishes. Each pair of jewellery item should be kept in it’s own box or pouch (even a small Ziplock will do!) and kept in a dry, cool place away from hot, sunny, and humid areas. So definitely don’t keep your jewellery in the bathroom!
Contact
Silver tarnishes over time when exposed to oxygen and sulphur in the air as well as when it comes into contact with our body’s natural oils and moisturizers/lotions you apply. Also it is a well known fact that diamonds scratch diamonds but did you know silver scratches silver too!
Cleaning
To remove tarnish, dirt, and grime from sterling silver & gemstone jewellery, here are your options:
Buy a silver polish cloth (available in supermarkets!) - the microfibre in the cloth already has chemicals which safely remove tarnish and dirt. Gently polish the jewellery in a back & forth motion with the cloth (not too hard and not in a circular motion). It may take time and you have to be patient but it works. Your cloth will turn black when it cleans your jewellery, but don’t wash the cloth. Buy a new one when it turns all black. Don’t use tissue paper or paper towel as it can scratch the silver.
Dip a soft/baby toothbrush in a bowl of soapy water (mix mild liquid soap with water) and gently scrub around and in the corners. Rinse the jewellery in lukewarm water and pat dry with a towel. HANDY TIP: if you are doing this over the sink, plug the sink first for obvious reasons!
Apply a basic toothpaste (nothing too abrasive) on a soft/baby toothbrush and gently scrub around and in the corners. Rinse with lukewarm water and pat dry with a towel.
There are many ways to clean sterling silver jewellery but the above tips are the safest.