What should you pay attention to when cleaning silver jewelry? All tips and tricks
When it comes to men's jewelry, no metal compares to the warm white of real silver. However, it can sometimes happen that sterling silver jewelry discolors and darkens over time due to environmental influences! That's why we've put together a few tips on how to best prevent the tarnishing of silver bracelets, rings, and more. Additionally, you'll learn everything you need to know about cleaning silver jewelry and how to remove the dark surface caused by the tarnishing of silver jewelry.
Why does sterling silver jewelry tarnish at all?
Silver is indeed a precious metal that does not oxidize quickly. But it has a weak point: sulfur. Silver reacts with sulfur and forms dark silver sulfide – and that's exactly what happens when silver jewelry tarnishes. Sulfur is found, among other places, in small amounts in the air, but sometimes also in sweat. Furthermore, 925 sterling silver as an alloy also contains a small proportion (5/1000) of copper, which makes the silver more robust and scratch-resistant – but can also react with air and make the jewelry appear darker.
To avoid tarnishing, you should ideally not wear your 925 sterling silver jewelry during sports or sweat-inducing work. Furthermore, for the long-lasting durability of men's silver jewelry, it makes sense to take it off at night, not wear it while showering or cleaning (to avoid contact with chemicals), and store it as airtight as possible or in a closed box. However, it should not lie unused in there for too long: because frequent wearing of silver jewelry literally wears off the silver sulfide – but if the jewelry lies unused for a long time, more silver sulfide can form undisturbed over time, and your jewelry will tarnish.
Home remedies for cleaning silver jewelry
To remove the dark surface caused by the tarnishing of silver jewelry, often small home remedies help. For example, baking soda and toothpaste contain fine abrasives, so you can use them with a small (tooth)brush to specifically remove the silver sulfide layer from your jewelry.
A very effective method to remove silver sulfide is the aluminum-salt method: Here you bring 500 ml of water to a boil and dissolve about 50-100g of salt in it. While the water heats up, you carefully wrap your jewelry in aluminum foil and place it in a (plastic) bowl. Then pour the hot salt solution over it and let it act for about 2-4 minutes before taking out your jewelry, rinsing it clearly, and gently drying it with a clean, soft cloth (preferably also with the care cloth) that we provide free of charge. Behind this is a chemical process: the less noble metal, aluminum, gives off electrons and – enhanced by the hot, conductive saltwater – takes the sulfur from the silver sulfide layer on the silver, which then dissolves.
Cleaning silver jewelry
Of course, you can also find aids for cleaning silver jewelry in specialist shops: jewelers, goldsmiths, or online retailers offer so-called silver baths, silver polishing cloths (also available in our shop), and ultrasonic cleaning devices with which you can clean your silver jewelry. Ultrasonic bath devices can especially remove skin oils and surface dirt to make your jewelry shine again. Tarnished surfaces, on the other hand, are better removed with a chemical silver bath, as it can specifically attack and remove the silver sulfide (be careful here with blackened silver jewelry, see below). For more delicate signet rings or necklaces with gemstones (e.g., tiger's eye or coral) or pearls, caution is advised – here a silver bath or cleaning agent can quickly attack the surface and make it dull. Similarly damaging can be an ultrasonic cleaning lasting several minutes.
Polishing or mattifying silver jewelry (professionally)
One way to care for your men's jewelry to look as good as new again is to simply remove the tarnished surface by having the silver jewelry polished by a professional (at a goldsmith or jeweler) or having it mattified anew. For shiny silver chains, rings, or silver bracelets, polishing has the advantage that even small scratches, which often occur from daily wear, can be removed at the same time. This way, your 925 sterling silver jewelry looks like new again!
For matte men's silver jewelry, you can sometimes also take matters into your own hands to refresh the matt finish and clean the silver jewelry. The best way is with a piece of mattifying fleece from the hardware store or a rough kitchen sponge. Or of course with the "Scratch Remover" we offer. This works especially well on chains as well as smooth bracelets or rings. Here you can place the fleece or sponge straight and move it evenly (!) around the men's rings or the bracelet. This light sanding creates a brushed effect on the surface. The steadier your hand and the more precise the movement, the neater the result. For silver jewelry with an ice-matte surface, it is a bit easier: here you can even use coarse sandpaper (40 or 80 grit) and remove the tarnished layer with circular motions and let it shine anew as an ice-matte surface. Especially by finally treating your ring with our silver polishing cloth afterwards.
Caution when cleaning blackened silver jewelry!
There are pieces of jewelry where the "tarnishing" is part of the design – namely with blackened or intentionally oxidized silver jewelry. These are chemically treated on the surface to intentionally form silver sulfide so that a beautiful contrast between white metal and dark recesses is created. This design form is very popular especially for men's silver jewelry. An example is our "Helix" vintage bracelet. Since the black coloring is literally superficial, you should spare it as much as possible during cleaning. Blackened bracelets, necklaces, or rings for men should therefore never be cleaned with the aluminum-salt method or put into a silver bath, but rather only wiped with a silver polishing cloth or carefully brushed over with mattifying fleece.
5 tips for cleaning silver jewelry
- Avoid wearing your 925 sterling silver jewelry during sports or sweat-inducing work to prevent tarnishing.
- Avoid contact with chemicals by not wearing your silver jewelry while showering or cleaning.
- Store your silver jewelry airtight or in a closed box to reduce the formation of silver sulfide.
- Use home remedies like baking soda, toothpaste, or the aluminum-salt method to remove dark surfaces caused by tarnishing.
- Use professional cleaning methods such as silver baths, silver polishing cloths, or ultrasonic cleaning devices to make your silver jewelry shine again, but pay attention to material compatibility, especially with blackened silver jewelry.
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