Jewelry Cleaning Tips

Silver Cleaning & Care Tips:

Here at ChristianJewelry.com we know that everyone loves a shiny new ring. We also know that silver can tarnish as it gets old, but a few simple maintenance steps can help prolong the life of your jewelry.

We recommend that you clean your jewelry often using mild detergent and warm water. Because sterling silver is a soft metal, it is a good idea to remove your sterling silver when engaged in physical activity, cleaning, or sleeping.

When not wearing your sterling jewelry, be sure to store it in a sealed polyethylene bag. This will help keep out humidity, which contributes to tarnishing.

Tarnish is a discoloration of sterling silver, which develops as a yellowish-black coating on the surface. If this happens, polish the piece with a treated solver polishing cloth.

Green finger is a naturally occurring phenomenon that is caused by your skin’s reaction to sterling silver. Changes in climate or diet will change your skin’s acidity and may turn your skin lightly green where the metal touches it. If this happens, polish the piece with a treated silver polishing cloth.

Black smudge occurs when amino acids and sodium chloride, sometimes present in the skin, react with the sterling silver. “Black smudge” should go away if you wear the ring for a few days and clean the ring with a liquid silver jewelry cleaner.

Suggestion from one of our customers: Toothpaste and an old toothbrush work great to clean tarnish on sterling silver!

Fill a glass or metal bowl with boiling water and add a couple tablespoons of salt, then place a small sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of the bowl. Place your silver ring in the bowl, on top of the aluminum foil. Bubbles should come off the ring, and a few minutes after, the tarnish will lift as well. Once the water cools, remove the ring and run it under warm water to remove any salt, then dry with a cloth. Any remaining tarnish should wipe off.