| Proper care and storage of your sterling | | | | stone. Gently wipe with a soft cloth and |
| silver jewelry means you will have many years | | | | rinse with cool water. Always make sure your |
| of pleasure and your jewelry will continue to | | | | jewelry is completely dry before storing. |
| look like new. Sterling silver will tarnish | | | | |
| over time and with a little care will | | | | There are a number of excellent quality |
| continue to look beautiful. With some | | | | silver polishes and pastes that you may wish |
| pieces, you may even wish to leave some | | | | to use for pieces that are more heavily |
| "color" to enhance the contrasts or aged | | | | soiled. Again, do not rub the polish on the |
| appearance of your jewelry | | | | gem stone as it may dull the surface over |
| | | | time. Be sure to rinse your piece thoroughly |
| Types of Cloths/Brushes | | | | and remove all polish or paste. If your |
| | | | jewelry is a plain silver piece, with no gem |
| Because sterling silver is a relatively soft | | | | stone, you may want to use a silver polish |
| metal, it will scratch easily. For best | | | | spray. |
| results use only use only soft, lint-free | | | | |
| 100% cotton cloth. Terry cloth, synthetic | | | | Ultrasonic cleaners are not recommended for |
| fabrics or any coarse cloth may cause fine | | | | any silver jewelry with gem stones and |
| surface scratches which will trap tarnish, | | | | particularly any that are porous, like |
| dirt and polish. This will cause your jewelry | | | | turquoise. The cleaner may harm the stone. |
| to lose its luster and appear duller over | | | | If your silver jewelry has no setting, then |
| time. | | | | you may use an ultrasonic cleaner. |
| | | | |
| You may clean your silver jewelry with a very | | | | How to Clean |
| soft brush, like a baby's toothbrush, a | | | | |
| horsehair brush or brushes sold for this | | | | If you've ever noticed a black car that has |
| purpose. Some have successfully used mushroom | | | | been repeatedly hand washed, you'll notice |
| brushes. The bristles of the brush must be | | | | the circular scratches that inevitably show. |
| very soft and used gently. There's no place | | | | Keep that in mind when you're cleaning your |
| for rough treatment or harsh scrubbing if you | | | | jewelry. Use a lengthwise gentle motion to |
| wish to preserve the luster of your jewelry. | | | | wipe your jewelry clean rather than a |
| | | | circular one. Any surface scratches that |
| Anti-tarnish polishing cloths are available | | | | occur will be less noticeable. Make sure |
| and are very inexpensive. These are both | | | | that you rinse your jewelry completely and |
| handy and easy to use. However, if your | | | | gently dry with a clean, soft cloth. |
| jewelry includes gem stones, you'll need to | | | | |
| be careful not to rub the stone(s) with the | | | | How to store |
| cloth. It could, over time, damage the | | | | |
| stone. | | | | Storing each piece of silver jewelry |
| | | | separately will reduce the amount of |
| Types of Cleaners | | | | scratching that occurs in a jewelry box. |
| | | | Using an airtight zipped bag - plastic or |
| For the same reasons, a soft cloth is | | | | specially purchased anti-tarnish bags - will |
| necessary - so is a soft, gentle cleanser. | | | | help reduce tarnishing over time. |
| There are several options available. | | | | |
| | | | Silver jewelry is meant to be worn. Actually |
| For light cleaning, a mild detergent and warm | | | | our body oils act as a barrier to tarnish - |
| water will often do the trick. Just make | | | | most of the problem will come in storing the |
| sure that you are using a lint-free soft | | | | jewelry. A little consistent care will go a |
| cotton cloth to gently clean your jewelry. | | | | long way to keeping your sterling silver |
| Once cleaned and rinsed thoroughly, gently | | | | jewelry beautiful for a lifetime. But if |
| dry completely before storing. | | | | you're like most of us and get busy with |
| | | | other things, it's nice to know that silver |
| You can also purchase a silver cleaning dip - | | | | jewelry is quite forgiving. |
| just make sure that you do not immerse the | | | | |