Tips to keep your jewellery clean
Finding the best way to look after your jewellery can be tricky, so we have put together a handy list of tips and tricks to keep your silver looking its best!
Storage:
Sterling Silver requires special care to maintain its shine and colour. It can tarnish when exposed to sunlight, water, perspiration, cosmetics, and other household items. To prevent tarnish as much as possible, we recommend that you store your jewellery in a safe, dry place, like a closed jewellery box. It's best to store silver in individual, air-tight bags with anti-tarnish properties. These types of bags keep air exposure out and keep the shininess and brilliance intact. Never store your jewellery above any kind of heat surface or in direct sunlight.
When to take off your jewellery: Dry silver is happy silver
Although we encourage you to show off your Silver Scene jewellery as much as possible, there are times when it is definitely best to take it off. We recommend that you remove your jewellery when washing, swimming or exercising, as this can cause it to tarnish more quickly. Perfumes and cosmetics can also speed up tarnish, so make sure that putting on your jewellery on is the final step when getting ready.
Hot tubs, swimming pools and the sea can cause irreversible damage to your Sterling Silver, so make sure to keep it safe whilst you're in holiday mode! The salt and chemicals in the water will cause faster tarnish and could cause corrosion of the metal.
At home cleaning:
Use a dry polishing cloth to keep your Silver shining. Make sure to avoid polishing any part of the jewellery that is intentionally oxidized, and don't polish the stones as they may scratch.
Make sure to pop in to your local Silver Scene to purchase your own cloth for £2.00.
Professional cleaning:
What is an ultrasonic machine?
An ultrasonic cleaner is a small machine that works by emitting high frequency sound waves. What this does is to create bubbles and ultrasonic vibrations in the water (also known as a cavitation process) which effectively removes dirt and grime clinging to your jewellery. Here at Silver Scene we are able to clean your jewellery for you with this technique, so make sure to ask our team members for more info.
Semi-precious stones:
To bring back sparkle to most gemstones you can use warm water, gentle soap and a soft toothbrush. Soak, brush inside the back of the setting and rinse.
With more delicate stones like Opal, ensure that you are extra careful when wearing them, as they can crack very easily. In this instance, avoid water as this will lead to the stone falling apart.
Pearl, Shell, Turquoise, Ammonite and other fossils are porous, so take care to avoid chemicals such as cleaning products, soaps and perfumes. Pearls can also absorb makeup and perfumes which can discolour them. Amber is a fossilised tree resin and can be scratched very easily on the surface and lose it’s lustre, so make sure to not to wear this when doing activities. Heat can also cause Amber to lose it's lustre.
Silver Scene stones that can be cleaned with warm water and a gentle soap:
Amber, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Emerald, Garnet, Kunzite, Lapis Lazuli, Labradorite, Lodolite, Malachite, Moldavite, Moonstone, Onyx, Peridot, Rhodochrosite, Ruby, Topaz, Tourmaline, Quartz.
Silver Scene stones that should not be cleaned with warm water and soap
Opal, Pearl, Shell, Turquoise, Ammonite and other fossils.
