Information
about silver and sterling silver jewellery care
Silver is a beautiful
and affordable precious metal. It has been used and prized since ancient times.
Silver has very high reflective qualities, in fact it is more reflective than
gold and, when polished, even platinum, the most precious of metals, cannot compete
with its shine.
Sterling
silver
Like
gold, pure silver is too soft to be used in jewellery. Therefore it is usually
mixed with another metal (copper, nickel or others). When 92.5% of silver is
mixed with 7.5% of other metal, the resulting alloy is known as sterling silver.
Sterling silver rings are often stamped with "925" on the inside to
indicate that they are genuine sterling silver.
Sterling
silver is sometimes plated in rhodium - a hard, bright metal of the platinum
family. This provides sterling silver with extra shine and hardness.
Caring
for Silver jewellery
Silver
is not as inert as gold. It is therefore important not to expose your silver
jewellery to water, soaps or corrosive elements. Silver jewellery is best stored
in a cloth pouch, in a dry place, away from direct sunlight or heat. Silver
jewellery should not be stored together with other jewellery or hard items, to avoid
scratching.
Sterling
silver will tarnish over time, but that is not a problem. Silver can be cleaned
and restored to its usual shine with a baking soda paste, water and a soft polishing
cloth or a soft toothbrush. There are also commercially-available polishing
cloths or silver jewellery cleaners for more severe tarnish. If the silver jewellery
is set with gemstones, make sure that the gemstone will not interact with the
cleaner you use!
Sterling
silver that is rhodium plated is less likely to tarnish or to scratch.
