Cleaning & Care: Sterling Silver Filled Jewelry
The Basics of Wire Wrapping
Wire wrapping is an art which uses various gauges of wire to create an artistic design and sometimes encase a focal gemstone or other object. There is no glue involved in traditional wire wrapping and the gemstone must be set in place solely by wire wrapping techniques. Sometimes beads or drilled stones are used, but many of my creations use undrilled stones.
Sterling Silver Filled Wire
Sterling Silver Filled Wire is a recent metal which has either a copper or brass core bonded with a thick layer of 99% fine silver. Even though the silver that is bonded on the surface is more pure than .925 sterling silver, it still has earned the name “Sterling Silver Filled” (or SF) in the jewelry world. Sterling silver filled jewelry is very different than Silver Plated jewelry! Silver plating is microscopic and can never be polished once the metal tarnishes, and for this reason is often coated with a clear lacquer. Plated jewelry wears away with time. Sterling silver filled jewelry has a thick enough layer of silver (either 1/20th or 1/10th of its body weight depending on the grade) and can be treated like real silver in many ways: it can be hammered, oxidized, and polished. It will also tarnish like real silver and will need to be properly stored and cleaned, but will last you a lifetime if you treat it with care.
Sterling Silver Filled Wire is a soft metal which hardens a bit during the process of creating, but still remains very malleable after the production and should be handled with care. Please don’t put your jewelry in your pockets or toss them into your purse. Always store them in a safe place and treat your wire wrapped jewelry with extra care.
Regarding allergies: Most of the jewelry should be fine, however if you have severe allergies please trust your instinct and stick with metals that you know you can wear. I encourage you to do your own research regarding the subject or speak with your local jeweler. For rings, I would recommend sticking with .925 sterling silver. Most of my sterling silver filled pendants come on a silver plated chain which will need to be replaced with your own .925 sterling silver chain to avoid allergies. Most bracelets will have chains or clasps that are plated metal or brass.
Oxidation
Sterling Silver Filled Wire will tarnish over time through oxidation. For this reason, I sometimes apply a clear lacquer on intricate bright silver jewelry to help prevent tarnish from resting in the wire weaves or crevices. On designs that can be more easily polished, I will leave the metal natural because natural metals will have a brighter shine and will last longer.
Storing Your Jewelry
Sterling silver filled jewelry will stay bright on its own if you wear it frequently. However if you plan to set it aside for long periods of time, its best to store it properly. To help slow oxidation, you can store clean jewelry in an airtight plastic bag or container. Never store your jewelry when wet, as the humidity will form a green patina on the metal. Always store your jewelry away from sunlight, heat, and humidity. Never leave your jewelry in the bathroom or a hot car. Please keep in mind that your jewelry is fragile and should be stored in a safe place like a jewelry box.
Cleaning Silver Filled Jewelry
Sterling Silver Filled Jewelry can be cleaned with products bought from a local store or online. In every order I include a free polishing kit as a gift, which includes a small polishing cloth and a plastic bag to store your jewelry. The small blue cloths are a free gift and are to be used until you are able to invest in a better quality polishing cloth or pads. The yellow cloths or little white pads are given with more intricate pieces and are samples of my personal polishing materials which are recommended below.
—Sunshine Polishing Cloths: These give a rich shine to silver! Some pressure does need to be applied to polish the metal, so please be as careful as you can when polishing delicate pieces. I find that laying the jewelry on a flat surface helps. These are wonderful because you can use them on all of your jewelry that is made to be polished (no plated jewelry!) Sunshine Cloths are readily available in USA and Australia, but you can equally use the brand name that’s available in your country. How to Buy: You can find these by searching online and finding a retailer that ships to you, or you can purchase a polishing cloth at your local jewelry store.
—Shine Rite Pro Polishing Pads or EuroTool Pro Polishing Pads: These little white pads work well to remove heavy tarnish and can be folded to reach hard-to-reach places. These work especially well on fragile or intricate pieces since not much pressure needs to be applied to brighten the metal. but since these small, white square pads have micro-abrasives, it may dull the appearance of the silver. To restore the luster, you can use the Sunshine Polishing Cloth as listed above. How to Buy: You can find these by searching online and finding a retailer that ships to you.
—Silver Cleaner: Silver cleaner can be used to brighten your tarnished bright silver jewelry. It can also be used on antique silver jewelry, but please use in moderation so that you don’t damage the black patina. Always rinse your jewelry well with water and allow it to dry before storing.