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