Wearing silver rings is a great way to compliment your look. It is excellent because it can go with almost any outfit and it is perfect for nearly any occasion. However, if your ring becomes tarnished, it will be nearly impossible for it to have the same effect on your style. That is why taking care of it is essential.
The good news is that it is possible to keep it shiny. All you need to do is follow a few simple tips. Here is the best advice for maintaining silver rings sparkling.
1. Wash it with soap and water
A good wash down is usually enough to keep tarnish, showing on a silver ring. That is mainly because after wearing the ring. You expose it to several elements that can react with the silver. Compounds in your makeup, hair product, and even lotions that you apply on your face and your body can react with the silver, causing it to tarnish.
After a day of exposing your ring to these compounds, it is always a good idea to wash it. When you wash the ring, you remove these compounds from its surface. Therefore, you limit the amount of time that these compounds react with the ring’s surface, something that then keeps tarnishes from forming. Washing can also erode some forms of mild tarnish, and can thus cause your silver to sparkle.
The only thing that you should keep in mind is that some soaps contain phosphates and ammonia. These soaps may make the problem worse. Therefore, you should limit yourself to washing your ring with cleansers that are ammonia-free and phosphate-free.
2. Use a soft polishing cloth
If your ring has started to show mild signs of tarnishing, it is time to act. That is because when you do something about it before the tarnishing gets worse, you can wipe it off the ring. To do this, you should use a soft cloth that is designed for use on silver jewelry. Merely polishing the surface with this cloth will be enough to get your silver sparkling again.
3. Improve your jewelry storage
Tarnishing usually gets worse when silver is exposed to elements in the environment. With time, things like sunlight, air, and moisture accelerate the rate at which silver becomes dull. And while it may not be possible to avoid these elements while wearing your ring, it is possible to protect against them during storage.
After washing your silver ring and letting it dry out, you should always place it in an air-tight plastic bag. Such a kit will limit the amount of time that your silver is exposed to the environment. You can even make it safer for your silver by dropping a few silica gel packs into the bags. These packs will absorb any moisture in the bag, something that will ensure that your jewelry is stored in a moisture-free environment. That will reduce the risks of tarnishing, something that will then ensure that your jewelry retains its sparkling appearance.
4. Use homemade cleaning solutions
Most commercial cleaners are harsh. They can damage your ring because they tend to be too aggressive. As a result, they can end up eroding your silver ring. Therefore, instead of risking damaging your ring, you should opt for homemade cleaning solutions that tend to be gentler. Some of the most effective ones include toothpaste, vinegar, olive oil, and baking soda. Use them to get rid of any tarnish that forms on the surface of the ring, and your ring will always be sparkling.
In addition to the above tips, you should also be careful when it comes to how you store the ring. Throwing it together with other jewelry can cause it to become scratched, and this can make it appear cheap and worn out. To protect against premature scratches, create compartments in the place where you store it and then store your jewelry separately.
Silver wedding rings
Wedding ring is considered to be the oldest feature of marriage, dating from ancient Egypt, or according to some sources, from the 9th century BC. n. e. Namely, for the ancient Egyptians, it was a symbol of eternity, a pledge for lasting love. So they shaped it into a ring and wore it on the left finger of the left hand. The reason for this was that they believed that a vein from that place led straight to the heart.
A wedding band can be made either of silver or gold, depending on your preferences. If you want to find out more about your options, click here. Wearing it on your left hand is more practical; most people are right-handed, and the wedding band on their hands can get messy, especially in certain professions, such as electricians. In some European countries, the wedding and engagement ring are one piece of jewelry, which is engraved after the wedding; the bride’s name and wedding date are printed and moved to the other.
The most frequently asked questions about silver jewelry
1. How and where to store silver jewelry?
For this type of jewelry, in addition to the cleaning method, it is also essential where and how you store it. The ideal storage place is in separate canvas bags or boxes in an area that is not exposed to sunlight.
When it comes into contact with sunlight or a heat source, it very often happens that it begins to turn yellow. Believe it or not, it has been observed that silver jewelry starts to turn yellow even when it is often exposed to neon lights, so they should be avoided.
If you do not plan to carry it for an extended period of time, it is best to put it in a bag that can be sealed and stored in a drawer.
2. What are all types of formwork used for silver jewelry?
Unlike gold and platinum, which are very stable, pure silver is quite volatile and oxidizes very quickly. That is why this jewelry is almost always coated with a sheet of other metal. The reason for that is to protect it from light oxidation.
Nickel and rhodium plating are most commonly used for lining silver jewelry. Nickel plating gives jewelry a lighter color, while rhodium plating is darker.
Rhodium plating is much more expensive than a nickel. It is also used for lining white gold and platinum jewelry, making jewelry with this formwork much more costly and of higher quality because rhodium plating protects it much better.
Sometimes you can find silver jewelry on the market without any formwork because silver is known to oxidize quickly and easily, thus achieving the old fashioned look of jewelry.
3. How do I know the degree of purity of silver jewelry?
The purity of pure silver jewelry is 92.5% silver in the alloy. To be sure, the exact degree of purity of silver in your jewelry is the only way to send the sample to the lab for testing.
However, as few people do, silver jewelry is nowadays made with the unique marking “925,” which signifies its authenticity.
4. What do you think about engraving and resizing silver jewelry?
One of the more common questions addressed to sellers, especially if the jewelry is being purchased for someone as a gift.
Both are quite easy to do on silver jewelry. However, what you need to take special care of is who you will give to do some of these processes. Juvecier must have all the necessary equipment and experience. It often happens that a responsible jeweler refuses to resize a ring, say a stone, as it can damage the stone during the process.
5. Can I wear pure silver jewelry if I’m allergic to nickel?
Of course, check before buying what kind of formwork it has and if it has one. Occasionally, rhodium plating has nickel in it, so it is best to opt for silver jewelry without any formwork.