Silver jewellery is popular among men and women both because of its white metal shine and flexibility to go with any attire and look.
Most of the people have sterling silver jewellery but not all take good care of it. If kept in open air, it starts tarnishing and loses it brilliant shine by reacting with air. There are many online journals and guidelines available to clean the silver jewellery, but the experts fail to tell some important point which should be kept in mind and not done with silver cleaners. Here are some points which should be specifically remembered when cleaning silver.
Things not to do when cleaning silver
Paper towels- Paper towels or tissue papers should not be used to clean silver jewellery as they have long fibers which scratch the surface of the silver. Instead use microfiber or lint free flannel for best results.
Circular motion- The silver should not be rubbed in circular motion since it increases the tiny scratches. Long to and fro strokes should be made instead.
Using the same section of cloth- The same portion of the cloth should not be used for cleaning the entire piece as it can deposit the tarnish back on the silver. One should keep changing the sections.
Excessive polishing- Excessive polishing of the silver plated items should be curtailed since it can remove the silver plating and leave only the base material peeking.
Exposure- Silver is easily tarnished coming into contact with oxygen, so exposure too many make-up accessories and household items should be prevented. Some of things which can damage the silver are eggs, onions, rubber, chlorine, and sunlight. So when one goes swimming, one should never wear silver jewellery.
Where the cleansers should not be used?
Soft Stones
It is very important for you to understand that every type of silver jewellery should not be cleaned with these cleaners. The jewellery with soft stones like pearls, opal, onyx and turquoise can get damaged by the cleaners. Thus, they should never be immersed in the solution and they should be gently rinsed for a few seconds and wiped with a cloth.
Clear gemstones
Silver cleaners can get under the clear gemstones in the pieces of jewellery and loosen the glue. Thus, if your silver jewellery has garnet, amethyst, topaz and other clear stones, special care should be taken while cleaning them.
Oxidised Jewellery
Silver cleaners should never be used on oxidized jewellery as they can damage the piece and rob it off its luster. Instead a polishing cloth should be used for oxidised silver jewellery.
Intricate Jewellery
The jewellery pieces which have an intricate design on them should be thoroughly washed after using a silver cleaner, because if the polish is not taken off immediately, it can settle down in the nooks of the intricate design and harden. The hardened polish is very difficult to remove and damages the piece immensely. Also wipe the piece with a muslin or microfiber cloth to remove any stains.
So, all these steps should be kept in mind when cleaning silver jewellery Perth.