How to take care of my sterling silver jewelry?

In General

Remember always to store your precious jewelry in a small bag, or jewelry box individually in case they rub or scratch each other. Avoid contact with perfume, lotion, and water, if so, clean your precious jewelry after wearing it, and keep it dry. Also remember to keep your chains fastened so they don’t get tangled.

*Wear it often: Believe it or not, your skin’s natural oils will help keep silver jewelry shiny. One of the easiest ways to prevent tarnish is to simply wear your sterling silver piece often as opposed to letting it sit in a jewelry box unworn.

*Remove during household chores: Substances with additional sulfur like household cleaners, chlorinated water, perspiration, and rubber will accelerate corrosion and tarnish. It’s a good idea to remove sterling silver completely before cleaning.

*Keep out of direct sunlight: Before you hit the beach or pool, be sure to remove your silver jewelry. Sunlight can cause silver to tarnish as well.

*Put your jewelry on last: For generations, women have been putting their jewelry on last and that’s for good reason! Lotions, makeups, hair spray and perfumes will accelerate tarnishing.

How to store my sterling silver jewelry?

*Use an air-tight container: any container can be used to store your silver, as long as its air-tight. Of course you can use Doviana jewelry box!

*Keep in a cool, dark place: as mentioned earlier, sunlight, heat and moisture accelerate tarnishing. Be sure to keep your silver in a cool, dark place.

*Store pieces individually: storing your pieces separately prevents any chance of jewelry scratching or tangling with each other.

*Consider anti-tarnish strips: you can throw in some anti-tarnish strips with your jewelry to help prevent tarnishing.

*Do not store in paper, cardboard, or cotton-filled boxes: these boxes may contain traces of sulfur which will contribute to tarnishing.

 

How to clean my sterling silver jewelry?

With time and wear, sterling silver jewelry will naturally become oxidized. If you’re looking at a piece of sterling silver jewelry that is darkened or appears dirty, then your silver has tarnished; but, there’s no need to neglect this piece or get rid of it!

Here are the tips to clean your sterling silver jewelry:

*Soap and water: This is our most recommended method because of the gentleness of soap and water. This should really be your first line of defense before trying anything else.

*Baking soda and water: If you come across suggestions to use toothpaste, we highly recommend you ignore that tip and use baking soda and water instead. When toothpastes were simple non-whitening, non-gel based pastes, they could be used on your jewelry. However, they include many more ingredients now that may damage your silver. Instead make a paste from baking soda and water, apply a small amount onto a cloth or tooth brush and scrub gently.

*White vinegar and baking soda: This gentle cleaning method is great for removing heavy tarnish. Soak your sterling silver in ½ cup of white vinegar and 2 tbsp of baking soda (combine these in the sink and prepare yourself for the fizzing and foam) for two to three hours. Rinse jewelry and pat dry.

*Finish with a polish: After you’ve given your jewelry a good cleaning, you can finish the process by using a polishing cloth that’s specifically for sterling silver.