Do not want to spend a fortune on pure gold or silver jewellery that is too soft and fragile for you to wear daily. And you are heartbroken to see your favourite pieces are tarnishing and turning black. Please continue reading this journal with more jewellery care information that you should know.
Sterling Silver
Pure silver is just too soft and not great for items that require daily use or specific shapes. Sterling silver is stronger and more durable than both pure silver and gold. For these reasons, this type of silver is one of the most popular pieces for artisans to design with. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver and 7.5% alloy to become a versatile part of your jewellery. Silver by itself can become tarnished, discolored and faded from being exposed to the air over time. But alloy reacts with sulfur near the jewellery more quickly to create silver sulfide, which is black. Sulfur exists everywhere, such as papers, sweat, tap water, acid rain, plastics, leathers, rubber material, car exhaust, cleaning or beauty products that will accelerate tarnish.
Gold Plated / Gold Filled
Gold plated and gold filled jewelleries are good and affordable substitutes for pure gold jewellery because it is difficult to tell the difference between them. And they can withstand daily wear but not pure gold pieces. Gold plated or gold filled jewellery may contains copper, brass, stainless steel, nickel, alloy or sterling silver, depending on the inside base metal that they used to make the jewellery. When the gold plating begins to reveal the underlying metal with daily use and exposed to air, sweat, makeup, and other chemicals, resulting in discoloration and tarnishing. It might take a longer time for the inner metal to get through gold filled jewellery, because of the thicker layer of gold and a more durable mechanical bonding with the base metal. Tarnish is still inevitable in this case.
“ How to keep Sterling Silver / Gold Plated / Gold Filled jewellery from tarnishing? ”
Tarnish is unfortunately not avoidable and all sterling silver, gold plated, gold filled jewellery will tarnish sooner or later depending on the climate where you live, the amount of sulfur in the air, and your lifestyle. However, there are still many tips on how to keep them shiny and bright for as long as possible. It would be easier to prevent tarnishing than remove tarnish.
Last on, first off rule
Please put your jewellery on last. Beauty products like lotions, makeups, hair spray and perfumes will accelerate tarnishing. So be reminded not to handle jewellery with cosmetics or lotion on your hands. It should also be the first thing you take off when you get home before washing with soap, cooking, cleaning or bathing. Do not wear your jewellery to swimming pool, beach, nail salons or other locations with high levels of sulfur.
Clean them after wearing
The best way to prevent your favorite jewellery items from tarnishing is to clean them after wearing. This will remove any dirt, chemicals, sweat or natural oils that may have accumulated and prevent the chemical process of tarnishing. For sterling silver, the simplest way to clean them is rub them gently with sterling silver polishing cloth, a gift from Blanc Bliss with your purchase but take care to avoid stones and pearls. Or you can wash your sterling silver, use clean water or mild soapy warm water, scrub gently with a cloth, and then dry. You can clean gold filled pieces with mild soapy water as well or untreated soft cloth. Please do not use a polishing cloth, as this will strip away the plating. For gold plated jewellery, clean only if it is necessary. You might rub them gently with an untreated soft cloth. They can be gently rubbed and cleaned with alcohol, but please do not put them in water.
Best protective packaging
As mentioned before, you can see that there are so many things around you contain chemical particles that will turn your jewellery black. The best way to protect them is storing them in an airtight dry jewellery box and limiting their exposure to the air, moisture and chemicals when you are not wearing them. Resealable bags / regular little ziplock bags will be your best, affordable and handy option if you do not have an airtight jewellery box. Please squeeze all air out and seal the bag completely.
