Cleaning your Sterling Silver Jewelry

While StoneWyre jewelry comes in a tarnish resistant gift box, silver can still tarnish over time and need to be cleaned. Different pieces lend themselves to different methods. Here are my own methods for cleaning my inventory and my personal sterling silver jewelry.

If it is a piece with a large, relatively flat surface like a hammered pendant, I will use a polishing cloth.  You do have to buy these, but they are very convenient for a quick clean up on something with larger surfaces. They often work with copper, brass, and other metals, and can be used to polish your silver tea service or your hammered cuff.

However, polishing cloths do not work well on a bezel or prong-set gemstone or wire wrapped jewelery, because it just can't get into the nooks and crannies and such rubbing may bend wires or prongs and ruin the design.  A very delicate chain might actually stretch by being pulled through the polishing cloth and the inside of the links would still be tarnished.

Commercial cleaners typically use chemical reaction to clean off the tarnish and can be both expensive and caustic. My childhood neighbor worked in a jewelry store. She laughed about the "special" jewelry cleaner they sold--she mixed it up in her kitchen using common household items! That is similar to the recipe I'm about to share with you.

NOTE:  Do not use this method on jewelry with soft gemstones like turquoise, opals, pearls etc. If in doubt, err on the side of caution and check with your jeweler.

Directions:

You'll need

* glass or enamel coated pan (it's important that no metal other than the aluminum foil) be exposed to the mixture)

* aluminum foil

Line the pan with the aluminum foil. The jewelry must be in the solution you're about to make AND the aluminum foil.

Pour the following ingredients into the foil-lined pan.

* 1 quart hot water

* 1 tbsp salt

* 1 tbsp baking soda

* 1 tbsp liquid dish soap

Stir liquid with a wood, plastic, or silver utensil/spoon (Do NOT use stainless steel utensil!) I use a pair of bamboo chopsticks. 

Heat over low heat. The solution needs to be hot, but NOT boiling. 

Put the silver jewelry in the solution and put it in contact with as much of the foil as possible. Using wood, plastic or silver utensils only, stir the jewelry around and flip it over so that it touches the foil on all sides. The chemicals, the foil and the heat work together to remove the tarnish.

Remove the jewelry.   

Rinse with clear cool water, pat dry with clean towel.  Let air dry completely and store in its gift box. 

Discard the liquid and foil when you're done; it cannot be reused effectively.

Enjoy your clean sterling jewelry and the savings!