Cleaning & Care: .925 Sterling Silver 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.
.925 Sterling Silver Wire
.925 Sterling Silver Wire has a metal purity of 92.5% silver and the remaining 7.5% other metals, like copper.
Sterling Silver is a harder, springy metal but can still be misshapen after production if mishandled, 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: .925 Sterling Silver contains a small percentage of copper but only those with extreme allergies respond to it. If you have allergies to Sterling Silver jewelry, it’s usually due to the copper in the metal.
Oxidation
Sterling Silver will tarnish over time through oxidation and will turn yellow from the oxidants in the air. Antique silver jewelry generally ages better and requires less care, but has a darker appearance due to the patina.
Storing Your Jewelry
Sterling silver 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 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.