How to Clean Sterling Silver Jewelry

My customers always ask if Sterling Silver Jewelry will eventually tarnish over time and the answer is yes! And since I get this question so often, I thought I would share with you a few tips on just how I clean my own personal sterling silver jewelry.

Actually, all jewelry tarnishes eventually. Gold, brass, copper, and even fine silver or 100% pure silver will eventually tarnish over time. In fact the only metal that doesn't tarnish is metal which is coated with a thin layer of some type of coating protecting its outer layer from attracting oil or dirt to stick to it (which is actually one of the main factors which causes tarnishing)

So, lets get right to it- here are a few basic and easy tips on how to clean sterling silver and also on how to prevent it from tarnishing in the first place, because prevention is the main step in keeping jewelry clean and sparkling for years to come! :)

1. Do not wear your jewelry all the time.
Unless its a wedding ring, I do not recommend wearing any one piece of jewelry day and night. Natural body oil, sweat, and jewelry rubbing against skin and other objects from the outside world will quickly break down the composition of any metal, especially soft metal like sterling silver and if its fine jewelry, such as a ring with a stone setting, daily wear and tear can actually loosen stone settings and eventually breakdown the metal that much quicker.

2. Keep your jewelry dry as much as possible.
I highly recommend that you do not wear your jewelry in the shower or pool or in any wet environment.  Wearing jewelry in the shower or pool or while working out is a bad idea for several reasons. Shower water (at least here in the US) has so many added chemicals like fluoride, chlorine and other chemicals which will quickly contribute to the break down of the composition of sterling silver or any metal.
Pro tip: Speaking of fluoride, never use toothpaste with fluoride to clean jewelry. The fluoride from toothpaste will actually damage the metal and toothbrushes tend to actually scratch the surface of metal leaving fine grooves for dirt to seep into.

3.When not in use, store it away!
Keep your dry, clean jewelry in an airtight protective plastic bag, preferably with a ziploc style closure. Storing your jewelry in an air tight protective plastic bag is best as this will provide ample protection against airborne elements like carbon, dust, dirt, skin, dander, and other elements which create tarnish. Without storing your jewelry away, these elements will eventually be attracted to your jewelry and stick to it causing a layer of film or dirt which will tarnish your jewelry.

4. When it does eventually tarnish, here are a few tips on how to clean and polish it!
I recommend polishing jewelry with a polishing cloth specifically made for sterling silver jewelry. That will remove the tarnish and then polish the piece of jewelry back to its original luster. In  my shop I carry polishing cloths specifically made for silver here.

If the jewelry is fine or has small crevices which may be too delicate to polish with a cloth, you can soak your jewelry in a gentle solution of 1 part gentle liquid dish detergent with 5 parts lukewarm water. Let your jewelry soak for 20 minutes or longer until the tarnish starts to loosen and disappear. Then rinse with cold water and if necessary use a q-tip to gently polish any hard to reach crevices.
*Never use a toothbrush because sterling silver is a soft metal and this will actually scratch the surface of sterling silver.
*Never soak jewelry which was assembled with glue or epoxy as the glue may dissolve.

On the left is a necklace with tarnish and on the right is one that has been cleaned in a dish detergent solution.

Storing your sterling silver jewelry in these protective polybags once they are clean and dry is another great way to keep it clean, tarnish free and shiny when not in use. 

Prevention is best, but with these basic steps, you should be able to enjoy your sterling silver jewelry for years to come. Happy Cleaning!

Have any tips of your own on how you clean your sterling silver jewelry? I would love to hear your tips in the comments below.

xo
Aziza

Keep Chains From Tangling

Oh the agony of trying to detangle a chain necklace! We've all been there right? Well, there's no need to beat yourself up because here is a simple way to prevent this from happening in the future.

Many jewelry wearers such as myself, often face storage and jewelry care problems, specifically, the problem of keeping jewelry chains from tangling! I thought I would address this issue once and for all and post my own personal solution. :)

Life Hack: How to Keep Chains from Tangling:

This method works, not just for my sterling silver and gold name necklaces, but also for ANY kind of fine or delicate chain necklace.

First, avoid storing/keeping your name necklace , or any other chain necklaces loosely in jewelry boxes or drawers like this:

1. Instead, store chain necklaces lengthwise in an airtight ziploc style bag designed specifically for chains, like this one:

Each chain necklace purchase from my shop comes with a bag like this. And you can purchase them separately in my shop here.

2. Slowly slip it into the airtight bag by dangling it heavy side down while holding on to the clasp:

3. When the bottom of the necklace is as far down in the bag as it can go, close the top of the ziploc bag right around the clasp making sure that the clasp is slightly sticking out of the closed area:

4. Make sure there is little to no air inside of the bag so that your necklace moves as little as possible while stored inside:

5. If you plan to store it in a jewelry box, jewelry chest or even a jewelry drawer you can carefully fold the bag several times over:

6. And then place your name necklace inside of your jewelry box, drawer or even jewelry travel bag. If you want to see how I store my personal jewelry, you might want to check out this post where you can see pics of the bins I use and how I set up my personal jewelry storage space.

Storing your chain necklaces in an airtight ziploc bag will also prevent them from tarnishing very quickly. All silver will eventually tarnish, even if its 99.9% fine silver, however, storing these necklaces in airtight bags will greatly retard the tarnishing process. Need a few of these bags? They're available for purchase in my shop here

Want to know how to clean and maintain Sterling Silver and Gold Necklaces? 5 Free Easy Jewelry Care Storage Tips can also be found here.

Happy Detangling!
xo

Aziza
All Jewelry potographed is available for purchase in my shop: AzizaJewelry.com

5 Easy Jewelry Care and Storage Tips

It happens all the time. One of my customers will email me completely freaked out because they've got knots in their necklace. My first question is "did you keep the airtight plastic bag that your necklace came with?"(more on that later)

What a lot of  jewelry consumers unfortunately don't realize is that proper jewelry maintenance will help to ensure that their jewelry will last a lifetime.  A lifetime? Yes, truly! Keeping your jewelry in great condition is possible with just a few simple prevention measures. Especially with my custom name necklaces, one way to prevent them from tangling is to keep them stored in plastic airtight bags when not in use.

After lots of questions and several requests from customers, I put together a short list of 5 Easy Jewelry Care and Storage tips so that your jewelry will last a lifetime.

But, first things first, its essential that you keep all original packaging that your jewelry came with as there will usually be some kind of jewelry care instructions or a leaflet describing what material your item is made from.  At a minimum, keeping all original packaging, box, or gift pouch is important if you don't already have any storage so that you can keep your new necklace, bracelet or earrings stored in it when not in use in it, and to keep them safe.

 

Also, knowing as much as possible about the material your jewelry is made from, is key to making it last for a long time. As a side note, I should probably say that your jewelry may not last a long time if its cheaply made, or even if you think its cheaply made (read: it cost $1, $2, $5). Sometimes you just have to use good judgement about what you are purchasing, who your'e purchasing it from and what you'll be using it for.

Before I began to make my own jewelry line and then sell it professionally, I bought jewelry from everywhere! Everything from well made handcrafted jewelry purchased at artisan markets, to really cheaply made jewelry at places like Claire's, e-Bay, etc. I've had jewelry that I purchased online for as cheap as $10 over 10 years ago and most of it has maintained in good condition because of just a few simple rules I follow:

1. Keep it in an airtight plastic bag

Got a necklace made from a fine link chain? Keep it from knotting by storing it in a plastic airtight bag. And then store that plastic bag in your jewelry box. Keeping sterling silver, solid gold and gold filled chains in airtight bags are especially important because it will actually PREVENT the metal from tarnishing quickly. Keeping soft gemstones like cultured pearls and freshwater pearls in plastic is also important because the plastic barrier will keep your pearls from rubbing up against other metals and scratching the pearls. This will also keep the luster and shine on your pearls longer.

2. Put jewelry on AFTER putting on any lotions, sprays, perfumes and oils
Putting jewelry on after you put on any lotions, sunscreens, perfumes and body products is a great way to prevent product build-up on jewelry. Having these substances, in combination with natural body oils, build up on your jewelry will quickly change the color of your gemstones, pearls and metal chains. It is even more essential that you put pearls on last because putting lotion and perfumes on top of pearls will quickly eat at the nacre of pearls and the acid contained in these products can quickly change the color of cultured pearls and freshwater pearls as well from a lustrous white to a dull yellow.

3. Take All jewelry off before showering, washing dishes, going into the pool and before bedtime

Excessive exposure to water and especially chlorine from your pool can quickly deteriorate the color, and quality of jewelry. It can erode protective coatings on metals like sterling silver, brass, copper, gold fill and even erode the metal itself! Also harsh pressures from showers and even faucets can loosen small gemstones from their settings and make them easier to lose. Its easy to see why so many people lose gemstones from ring band settings! Taking jewelry off before bedtime is a great way to let your jewelry breathe and prevent it from losing its shape and luster while you toss and turn in your sleep. It will also prevent any kinks from occurring in chains. At bedtime, take off jewelry and store valuables safely in a jewelry box. I like to store my personal jewelry in small plastic airtight bags inside of clear acrylic bins so I can see whats inside without having to open it!

4. Wipe off sweat, body oils and dirt from jewelry regularly
After wearing your jewelry all day, especially under the hot sun during the summer time, its very important to wipe off any sweat, sunscreen build up or excess skin which may have accumulated on it. Sometimes, its nothing more than just a few dead skin cells which happens organically and can't really be prevented from ending up on jewelry. This can usually be removed by using a soft polishing cloth (made for that specific material) and very gently wiping it off before storing it.

5. Use a Polishing Cloth when appropriate
Its a good idea to purchase a polishing cloth to keep your jewelry shiny and in most cases it can also be used to wipe off excessive product buildup, like hairspray and sunscreen, moisture and sweat. However, normal polishing cloths should not be used on gold filled metal jewelry, as the top coating can easily just be polished right off.

Using it on sterling silver, solid gold and other metals like brass and copper are usually fine in most cases, however its always a good idea to consult with your jewelry manufacturer first.

Need a polishing cloth? I've got small polishing cloths for use with sterling silver and solid gold in my shop here.

So what about gold filled or gold plated jewelry? How should you care for it? Firstly, preventative measures are best. Be sure to put perfumes and body lotions on before putting on your jewelry and always store it in a protective bag when not in use. When it does occasionally become heavily tarnished, use a soft damp cloth (an old soft jersey t-shirt works well) and gently wipe off excess dirt from the jewelry. Be sure the cloth is damp, not wet, and polish very gently otherwise the top layers of gold may be stripped right off.

Some of you may be thinking- but what if I purchased a necklace, earrings or bracelet from someone who did not give me a box, protective plastic bag or pouch to store it in?  Or worse "what if I received a storage bag and accidentally threw it away?" Well, the good news is, you can always use a kitchen size resealable airtight storage bag (like ziploc or a similar brand). However, if you choose to do this, I highly suggest you use the smallest plastic airtight bag you can find to keep the moisture and air out.

You can also purchase small ziploc style poly bags here  and as a bonus, if you liked the tips in this blog, I'm including with your purchase of the poly bags, a highly detailed report with even more tips and on how to keep jewelry clean and safe to last a lifetime.

Earring Poly bags:

Necklace Poly Bags:

I hope this post has been helpful!
Have questions? Please comment below or feel free to email me.


Until Next time!
xo
Aziza