How to care for silver jewelry

In previous posts we have already commented on the most common types of silver used in jewelry. The most common is, without a doubt, sterling silver or 925 silver, which is made up of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (in our case, copper, to avoid many allergy problems). The mixture between silver and copper is made to make silver a little harder and thus also more resistant to shocks or scratches … but, on the other hand, sterling silver, having a part of copper, oxidizes (actually the chemical process is another, but that’s all the same) and can end up blackening.

To prevent this from happening, or to make it take much longer, we give you some tips to prevent silver from darkening or blackening and keep it always polished and shiny as the first day. Here they go!

• First of all, the most important thing:humidity! Humidity is the great enemy of sterling silver. Be careful, because this is also very important: humidity does not mean water, they are different things. In other words: you can bathe, shower, splash and wet your sterling silver jewelry with complete peace of mind? but, when you finish, above all, dry them well, if possible with a soft cloth (more on this below). When you are not wearing them, it is best to leave them in a dry place or, better still, in a hermetically sealed zip bag. If you don’t have one, cloth bags are also good, because they absorb humidity, or you can put silicon packets in the jewelry box. And, if you don’t have cloth bags handy either, you can keep them in the box in which we sent them to you.
• Secondly: our own skin. Yes, skin and sweat have small acid particles that react with silver. Each person is different, and in some cases this process will not be visible or will take years to be noticed, and in other cases, it will be a matter of months. Where possible, avoid contact with the skin. Of course, this is possible with pendants or earrings, which only touch the ears at some points… but not even close to bracelets or rings. In these cases…
• Care and maintenance of silver jewelry. The ideal is that, from time to time, for example once a week, you clean them with a little hot water and soap. This way we remove the impurities that have been hooked, whether it is sweat, dust, dirt … even if it is so small that we do not see it, it is there. We clean the jewel carefully, with our hands or, if it has tiny holes, with a very, very soft toothbrush (this is important) and soap (the normal soap, the one we use to wash our hands) and, when we finish, we dry it with a very soft handkerchief, as soft as possible. The best ones are, by far, the single-layer Kleenex. If not, we can use a kitchen towel, but as soft as possible.
• Why are we so heavy-handed and repeat so many times about a soft handkerchief, not using a toothbrush…? For the same reason that we dedicate this point to the blows: to avoid scratches on the silver. Silver, as we have said, is a relatively soft metal; when alloyed with copper to obtain sterling silver, it gets more hardness, but it is still a metal that will get marks and nicks. As we use the jewelry, and although we do not realize it, it will get scratches with every little tap: every time we put on or take off a shirt or a sweater, for example, we scratch the earrings or the necklace. Or, every time we move our hands or put them on the table or pick up an object, we are making small marks on our rings. But, of course, we should not panic or stop moving our hands, far from it (that’s what the last point is for). Most of these marks will not be seen or will take a long time to be noticeable. But it is important that, when cleaning the jewel, we do it with the softest possible cloths. If you use a dry and coarse cloth, after a few times the jewelry will have lost its shine and it is even possible to see the streaks. If you use a soft cloth or a kleenex, these will not appear or will take years.

• Chemicals. Yes, sterling silver reacts with some products, so if in doubt, it is best to avoid contact with them. These are not everyday products, although we have had some hair dyes discolor or yellow the silver. Shower gel won’t wash off a ring, far from it, but if you’re not sure when using a product… it’s best to take off your jewelry and avoid direct contact.
• Products to clean or maintain sterling silver. There are several options. There are some cloths that come with a liquid already prepared that, supposedly, cleans the silver very well and restores the shine. There are many models on the market, but we have used a couple and the truth is that they did not work well at all, they did not restore the shine to the jewelry and also left many marks. Perhaps they are designed more for larger products (such as silver cutlery or similar), rather than jewelry… On the other hand, there are liquids or pastes that restore the shine to silver and they are relatively cheap. They are available in almost all supermarkets, so the best option is to try one of them on some of your jewelry and, if it works for you, go ahead! We use one that we always recommend and that leaves the jewelry very, very well, it is a blue liquid in which you dip the jewelry and in a matter of seconds they are pretty much as they were at the beginning. Our idea is to have it available on the web, but if you can’t find it, don’t hesitate to write us and we will tell you which one it is, so you can get it.
• And finally… As you will have seen, many of the tips can be followed, but others can’t. It is impossible to wear a ring or a bracelet without skin contact. It is impossible to wear a ring or a bracelet without skin contact, it is very difficult to avoid all contact, it is impossible to put on your sweater or shirt and have to take off your earrings every time, and we will not always have the time to take all the jewelry one by one and clean them with love. That’s the beauty of silver. All these problems are caused by the fact that it is a relatively soft metal, but, precisely because of that, it is relatively easy to polish again. So don’t worry! At SENSEI JEWELS we always advise you to wear your jewelry every day, whenever you feel like it, as many times as you want, for all occasions, because we are not geeks just once in a while (and that’s why we make geeks jewelry to wear every day). And, if the time comes when the jewel gets blackened, or has scratches, or is losing its shine, or needs to be reworked… send it back to us 🙂 No problem. Or take it to some other jeweler (be careful: jeweler much better than jewelry store, because many jewelry stores don’t have a workshop) and, in a few minutes, you will have the piece as good as new again.

This is important because, after so much advice, we are all left with the idea that we are doing it wrong, that we are not taking enough care of our jewelry and that silver is something delicate that needs to be treated with care. Far from it! Jewelry should be enjoyed, they all have a special history and mark so many unique moments in our lives 🙂