Cleaning Steps For Your Personalized Silver Necklace

By Tonia Michael


If you discover that your personalized silver necklace is stained and appears dirty, you should have it cleaned by a professional jeweler. Of course you can always try to clean your jewelery yourself using a metal cleaning kit. Others risk using household cleaning agents which is not advisable if your pieces are expensive.

This kind of metal tends to tarnish when exposed to hydrogen elements. These compounds can be found in the air, on rubber bands, wool and latex. Even the oils on your skin and some kinds of food can cause your jewelery to tarnish. The first sign of tarnishing occurs when the metal turns greyish. It will eventually become yellowish-brown or a dark brown before turning black.

To clean up your jewelery, you will need a few things such as nitrate gloves, cotton swabs, and a clean sponge. Wear your gloves before handling the cleaner and jewelery. Other types of gloves that are made of rubber or nitrate are not advisable since both materials tend to make the metal tarnish in the first place. Nitrate gloves will not add to the problem.

Begin the cleaning by putting your jewelery under running H2O. This can eliminate surface dirt and traces of lotion. Use an old toothbrush to scrub out dirt. Rinse the piece well and then dry it with microfiber material. Do not use things like terry cloth or paper towels to dry it to prevent scratching the surface. Rub the metal lightly in even motions.

Place a few drops of silver polish on a sponge. Make sure your sponge is clean and dry. Rub a small portion of your jewelery with back and forth motions. After 15 or so seconds, stop rubbing the metal and then rinse and wring the sponge. Place some new polish on the surface of the scrubber and repeat the process till all the tarnished stains are removed.

It is important to clean and rinse out your sponge occasionally to prevent the tarnish-causing agents from returning to the jewelery. Repeat this process till you completely polish the entire jewelery. If there are engraved letters or designs on the piece, use the cotton swabs to clean and polish the creases and fine indentations of the engraved portions. Change the swabs after every 15 seconds.

You have to remove excess polish from your jewelery by wiping the whole piece with a warm moist cotton ball. Dry it with a clean piece of microfiber towel. You can prolong the condition of your jewelery by storing it in leather or sealed plastic pouch. This keeps oxidization and contaminants away from it. When performing your own cleaning, avoid using household items if you can help it.

The best way to have your personalized silver necklace cleaned is by purchasing a cleaning kit and following instructions carefully or by bringing your jewels to a professional for cleaning. This way, you avoid making mistakes that can ruin your jewelery forever. Professionals can also clean your pieces better using proper tools and cleaning solutions.




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