Nothing is worse than noticing one day that your favorite piece of silver jewelry is tarnished and black. You may be tempted to throw it in the trash, but there are simple cleaning solutions for silver chains and other pieces. You have to first come to terms with the fact that silver tarnishes, you can't stop it and it doesn't matter if it is pure silver or mixed. It oxidizes because of a chemical reaction, called silver sulfate, and that is why it has tarnish and black marks on it. You could try to wear your silver all the time, but that limits your fashion style too.
A soft polishing cloth is usually the first thing that people try. These are specially made for silver and some brands have silver polishing agents and tarnish inhibitors in them. This removes the tarnish and the dull areas from the silver with gentle buffing. [I:http://www.thehopejar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IgorPauer17.jpg]
When the cloth isn't sufficient some will turn to a commercial silver cleaning polish. This is usually a liquid that you dip the silver in, let it set for the recommended amount of time, rinse, dry, and buff afterwards. These are powerful solvents so you want to be careful with which one you choose, some available now are non-toxic.
There are home remedies that people turn to and swear by also. One is the toothpaste method. This is where you will use a white, non-gel, type of toothpaste. You rub it into the chain and gently clean the chain up and down with a soft bristled toothbrush. When you are done, you rinse with lukewarm water and dry. Buffing may be needed after that to enhance the shine. You need to be careful with this method as the bristles on the toothbrush can scratch the silver.
You could also try the aluminum foil and baking soda technique, this one rarely requires any scrubbing unless the black marks are really bad. You simply line a pie pan with aluminum foil, pour boiling water till it is halfway full, and add two tablespoons each of salt and baking soda. Stir that up really good till it is dissolved and then lay the chain in the solution. The chain needs to lay flat and touch the aluminum or it won't work. [I:http://www.thehopejar.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/IgorPauer26.jpg]
The aluminum foil, baking soda, and salt all work together to cause a reaction and that will allow them to act together as a magnet, removing the tarnish. You want to let the jewelry soak for about five minutes, ten if it is really bad, then gently rub it down with a soft cloth to make sure the marks are gone. When done just rinse and dry your sparkling chain that looks new again.
Wearing your silver as much as possible will help reduce the amount of tarnish that accumulates on it, as well as always handling it with clean hands. Tarnished silver is not ruined forever and can be brought back to life with cleaning. Choosing the best method for your silver chains is a matter of preference and which works right for your piece.
Mr. Pauer is expert in silver jewelry, working nearly two decades in silver jewelry business. The production company (Silver.Ag), he works for, physically stock about 114.000 pcs of jewlery to be able to dispatch customers orders within 24 hours. The company has over 500.000 customers worldwide.
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