Sterling silver is a fantastic jewelry metal - it wears well, it’s durable, and it has the look of white gold at a fraction of the cost. It can hold any gemstone, from the most delicate pearl to the super-strong diamond, and look radiant and flawless. Like gold, sterling silver can last a lifetime - or much longer! The key to making your sterling silver jewelry last from generation to generation is knowing how to take care of it.

What to expect from your new sterling silver piece

You just received a brand new piece of jewelry. Whether it was created just for you by a skilled artisan a few days ago, or a vintage piece purchased from our website or passed down to you from your great grandmother, there are some things you should know. Even the highest quality sterling silver can tarnish and your skin can get discolored after the first few wears of wearing the piece. It’s totally normal! It doesn’t happen to everyone, but sometimes the chemical make-up of your jewelry and the natural oils of your skin can react to each other in a less than ideal way.

However, this is NOT permanent! The best thing you can do in this situation is to keep wearing the piece every day. At the end of each day, wash your skin and polish your piece of jewelry with a polishing cloth*. In just one to two weeks, your skin and your jewelry will ‘get used to each other’ and there will be no more tarnish and discoloration!

Regular maintenance

Sterling silver can dull, and over a long period of time natural oxidation (blackening in the creases of a sterling silver piece) will occur. To keep your piece looking its best, use a polishing cloth* on your item periodically. The more you wear your item, the less likely it is to become oxidized because the oils from your skin protect it. Silver jewelry items you don’t wear regularly won’t have the oils of your skin to protect it, so they should be periodically cleaned as well to avoid tarnish and oxidization. For a bit of extra luster, you can even add a small drop of olive oil to your polishing cloth before you use it.

Brushed silver and oxidized silver

Brushed silver, or silver with any kind of a matte finished, should NOT be cleaned with a polishing cloth. The finish on a brushed or matte silver piece is more delicate than buffed, shiny silver, so the chemicals in your polishing cloth will eventually wear the matte finish away. The best way to clean brushed or matte silver is to brush it gently with a toothbrush that’s been dipped in a mixture of water and a little bit of baking soda. Once you’ve brushed it, rinse with water and pat dry with a clean cloth.

For oxidized silver, use a a tiny bit of soap (Don’t use any soap with citrus in it because the acid can be damaging to silver) and water on a soft cloth or toothbrush. Scrub the item gently, rinse, and pat dry.

Some oxidized silver pieces feature bits of silver that are shiny - when this is the case, you can use a polishing cloth on the shiny parts, being careful not to scrub any of the oxidization off.

It’s also important to keep in mind that some matte finishes and some oxidization will naturally wear off your pieces over an extended period of time if you wear them every day. This is because the oils in your skin work as a very gentle polishing agent.

Gemstones

Silver jewelry can feature a variety of gemstones, and it’s important to know how delicate each stone is. The hardest and most durable stones (such as diamonds and sapphires) can stand up to the chemicals in a polishing cloth. However, most soft and porous stones (such as pearls and opals) are too delicate and can be damaged with the use of a polishing cloth.

 

These are just the basics! If you are unsure whether or not a stone can withstand exposure to regular polishing, or if you have any other questions, you can always email [email protected] - we love to help!

 

*A polishing cloth is only recommended for shiny sterling silver pieces - not oxidized silver or brushed silver.