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Sterling Silver Jewelry Today
By Sam and Tami Serio
Morning Light
Jewelry
Sterling silver jewelry: silver and gemstone rings, sterling silver
earrings, bracelets and pendants are some of the hottest fashion
accessories today! Sterling silver jewelry is enjoying an unprecedented
popularity with today's fashion conscious public. You know how beautifully
sterling silver jewelry compliments fashionable clothing and how it
sparkles and shines; now here is the rest of the story.
Silver has been used since ancient times, but has not survived as well as
ancient gold because it tarnished and decomposes. There have been times,
however, when silver was "in"; we are going through such a vogue today.
Silver is the most common of the precious metals. Fine silver is pure
silver, which is seldom used for jewelry because it is too soft. Sterling
silver is 925 parts silver to 75 of copper, the alloy most often used.
Silver weighs about half as much as gold, has greater flexibility, but is
not as malleable, it has always been less expensive as well. A comparable
piece of gold jewelry might cost four or five times that of a piece of
sterling silver jewelry.
The current fashion trend leaning toward black clothing has made silver
jewelry more popular than ever. Silver likes to be worn; it stays cleaner
& shinier through movement and friction. So sterling silver is a perfect
accessory for today's fast paced lifestyles. Much like gold, sterling
silver needs to be cleaned.
Care and Cleaning of your Sterling Silver Jewelry
1 - For daily cleaning it is recommended to use a simple jewelry polishing
cloth that is impregnated with special jewelry cleaner. These are widely
available and are very easy to use. Store your cloth in a plastic zip-lock
bag, and keeping your jewelry drawer or rmoire. It is a good idea to have
one cleaning cloth for gold and one for silver.
2 - For a slightly more "in-depth" cleaning you may want to use a liquid
jewelry cleaner.
3 - For cleaning badly tarnished silver, here's a neat little trick
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Cover the inside bottom of a heatproof glass dish on bowl with a piece of
aluminum foil, shiny side up.
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Place the tarnished silver in the bottom of the dish, contacting the
aluminum foil.
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Add 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda, and then slowly pour boiling
water to cover the piece. The tarnish will gradually collect on the
aluminum foil.
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Remove your silver, rinse thoroughly, and polish.
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Thoroughly rub the sterling with a good silver cleaner & toothpaste, on a
clean dry cloth dipped in baking soda; use a clean soft toothbrush for
holes and crevices. Finally, rinse well and lightly towel-dry.
4 - One old fashioned method for quick-cleaning is to rub dry ashes over
silver.
5 - A more modern approach is to purchase a chemical cleaner, impregnated
jewelry cloth; that you should store in a Ziploc bag and keep near your
jewelry storage box so that you use it frequently.
Tips for Greater Enjoyment of your Sterling Silver Jewelry
1 - Are your silver chains all tied-up in knots? If so, here's a nifty
little trick for straightening them out. Dust your chain with a little
talcum powder and then try to unknot it. If the knot is stubborn, place a
small drop of baby oil on a sheet of wax paper. Lay the knot in the oil
and work it out with two pins; then clean the chain as instructed below.
2 - Always apply make-up, perfumes, oils or colognes before you put on
your jewelry. Minimize exposure of silver to perfumes, hair sprays
or household cleaners. Avoid wearing silver in pools, hot tubes or the
ocean.
3 - To avoid tarnishing, wrap silver in tissue paper and store in poly
bags with anti-tarnish strips (UTL-46). Use polishing cloth (UTL-1) to
buff silver. Anti-Tarnish polish (UTL-47) may be used. Cleaning dip
(UTL-25) should only be used as a last resort. Do not dip pieces with
stones; it may cause damage to the stones.
Please note: This is a good time to mention that there is a difference
between polishing and cleaning. To polish means to make your jewelry
brighten with a glossy finish. A jewelry polish can be used for added
brilliance after a thorough cleaning (follow the directions on label.) A
routine rubbing with a polishing cloth keeps your sterling silver jewelry
looking great.
The Authors
of the above Article, Sam and Tami Serio have been passionately involved
with Jewelry and Gemstones for over fifteen-years. You are cordially
invited to visit http://www.morninglightjewelry.com for a wealth of
information about the fascinating world of Jewelry and Gemstones. Together
they also shelter 20 abandoned and abused dogs & cats. A portion of their
profits goes to the care and feeding of the animals.
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