How to prevent your silver jewelry from tarnishing?
First you have to know what is the silver that composes a jewel.
Silver is a metal used since the beginnings of antiquity mainly for making ornaments. However, when it is used very pure, it is very malleable, “soft” one could say. For those who know lead, of a very close solidity. And "fine" silver (the official way of naming 99.999% pure silver) is very resistant to oxidation, i.e. tarnishing and blackening, and it retains its luster for a very long time.
But sterling silver, because of the copper, oxidizes and therefore tarnishes much more easily in the open air. This is mainly because of chemical pollutants; Well yes, pollution again.
At that time, (we can say 2,000 to 3,000 years before Christ, no, it's not new) craftsmen, after many experiments, and they had time, managed to establish that the ideal composition was 925 parts silver and 75 parts copper per 1000 parts, which considerably increased the "solidity" of the metal. Thus was born the "sterling silver" which is much stronger, in any case strong enough for jewelry.
But sterling silver, because of the copper, oxidizes and therefore tarnishes much more easily in the open air. This is mainly because of chemical pollutants; Well yes, pollution again.
So you could say that sterling silver doesn't like creams, makeup, lotions, swimming pool water, or a lot of the like. On contact with them, a layer of tarnish is formed which gives the jewelry a dull and old look.
Here are some quick tips to easily protect your silver jewelry from tarnish.
- Store them away from ambient air - In airtight bags or boxes. Before storing them, if they have been in contact with creams, lotions, if you have bathed in a swimming pool, or simply at regular intervals, soak them for some time in a mild detergent diluted in water hot (like dishwashing liquid), then rinse them, sponge them and let them dry well before storing them in an airtight container.
- Clean them if they are tarnished or oxidized - In some jewelry stores, you can buy solutions in which you soak tarnished jewelry to clean it. If you use it, follow the instructions scrupulously otherwise you risk altering the shine, or harming the brilliance of the pearls or stones. Before arriving at this cleaning solution, you must try to let them soak as we advised you a little before.
- Be sure to polish your jewelry - once in a while to keep its shine intact. We offer this service this restoration (almost new). You must write to us at “ info@michaudmichaud.com ”.
- Wear them regularly - Wearing your silver jewelry regularly will prevent it from tarnishing.
- Jewels from the ShikShok collection - The small exposed balls of the jewels in this collection are made of fine silver and not sterling silver, which gives them increased resistance to tarnishing. They will stay shiny for a long time.
So, visit "https://michaudmichaud.com/", and discover the authentic collections of silver jewelry, truly original and very chic collections by artisan jewelers in Quebec .