TAKING CARE OF SILVER JEWELRY

Jewelry made of silver has made a big comeback in the past several years. Solid sterling silver (.925)  is a precious metal and the perfect combination of luxury and affordability to rock day and night. Being a precious metal, silver is great for withstanding most acids, chemicals, and other earthly elements. The main element that has an effect on silver is sulfur. Sulfur particles exist all around us including the air we breathe. When sulfur comes in contact with silver, it creates a chemical reaction and causes the silver to darken or build tarnish. Therefore, we can find many vintage silver jewelry pieces being black in color.

The darkened layer of tarnish is very thin. When silver is worn more often, the exposed dark layer is being polished by clothes or skin and somewhat removed. That is how some silver jewelry has darker hard-to-reach internal areas and polished silver on external details.

Silver jewelry made by Aquani has taken advantage of this natural vintage technique. The jewelry is exposed to sulfur on purpose to give it contrast and create a beautiful vintage-inspired look. We then polish the external side of the jewelry where it will naturally be touching the skin creating a sophisticated transition between vintage and modern.

Keep in mind that, with time, even the initially polished areas of silver will come in contact with sulfur particles and darken. In which case, you may remove the tarnish with a silver polishing cloth. Leaving the internal areas darker and external side silver.

If your jewelry is simply dirty, you may clean it with warm water, liquid soap, and an old toothbrush.

To Prevent Tarnish:

• Wearing your silver jewelry more often will keep tarnishing away for longer. The simple reason is that it is being polished daily by your clothes and skin.
• Remove all silver jewelry when using cleaning products or exposed to salt water.
• Store in low humidity, individual pouch or plastic bag.
• Add an activated charcoal, chalk or silica gel to your jewelry storage box or pouch to minimize exposure to air and from tarnishing.