Ornaments made of silver need special care. They constantly turn black. This is a reaction to sulfur, which is contained in human sweat. To return the earrings and rings to the original appearance is not so difficult. In this article we will talk about how to clean silver with stones, how to achieve pure brilliance without damaging the central element of the decor.
Using available tools
Over time, silver jewelry only gets better. Holes and grooves are covered with a natural patina, which gives the product a noble chic. Today, clean silver at home is easy to clean.
A greasy deposit easily goes away if you place a silver object in warm soapy water, to which ammonia has been added( one liter of water is enough to take one tablespoon).The black is removed as follows:
- The decoration is soaked in warm soapy water for two hours.
- Removed, rinsed and dry wiped with a soft cloth.
- Then the gruel is prepared from a mixture of ammonia and regular chalk. If chalk is not at hand, it can be replaced with tooth powder.
- Gruel soft cloth is rubbed into the silver.
- After this, the decoration is scalded with boiling water, washed under running water and polished to a shine.
Well helps to clean the juice of raw potato silver. But all of the above methods are not suitable for cleaning products with stones. Such manipulations can easily damage them. How to act in such a situation? Carefully read the following recommendations.
Decoration with inserts made of mineral semi-precious stones
How to clean home silver with stones? Experts recommend to learn more about their density.
The highest, for example, in sapphires, emeralds and aquamarines( we don’t mention diamonds, because silver is very rarely used for their presentation).
You can clean such jewelry using laundry detergent or ordinary shampoo for washing hair, dissolved in very warm water and a soft toothbrush. Her villi easily penetrate into the existing gaps and allow for high-quality cleaning.
The process will go much faster if you give the ornament half a hour to stay in warm water. In this case, the dirt will become sodden and easy to remove.
Density, malachite, turquoise and moonstone have a density coefficient of less than 5 units, so they can be cleaned in the same way, but replacing the laundry detergent with soap. In this case, it is absolutely impossible to clean silver with stones with powder and chalk, since the smallest particles can easily scratch the less dense structure of minerals.
Pay attention! Stones such as ruby, mysterious topaz or bright garnet under the action of high temperatures can change color. Therefore, you can not clean them using hot water.Very often, in jewelry made of silver, instead of precious stones, glass or products covered with multi-colored enamel are used. Such items can be cleaned using a cotton swab and a mixture of tooth powder at home. In it, you first need to use a pair of tweezers to drop a few drops of ammonia taken from the first-aid kit. Moreover, such products should not be subjected to mechanical shocks, they are also afraid of sudden temperature changes. Silver must not be cleaned using abrasives.
Jewelry with inserts made of organic materials
It must be remembered that pearls, amber, mother-of-pearl and ivory have a very soft, porous texture that can be easily scratched or damaged. Therefore, when washing it is strictly forbidden to use alkaline or acidic solutions, as well as ammonia additives. Under the ban and any abrasive powders. How can silver be cleaned with improvised materials made from organic materials at home? Very neat.
- Amber and ivory, for example, is simply soaked in warm water, and then wiped with a soft cloth.
- Corals are very sensitive even to sunlight. Under their action, they quickly fade and turn pale, so silver jewelry with them is best to wear in the evenings. And clean the metal without touching the stone.
- Pearls, like amber, can be washed with warm water, but it is allowed to add a little laundry soap. Then these decorations should be rinsed under running water and not wipe the stone itself, but let it dry by itself. Only the metal part of the decoration is allowed to polish to shine. Strongly dirty pearls are cleaned with dry potato starch.
As you can see, it is not difficult to clean silver with stones at home using improvised means. But there are special compositions on sale, the formula of which was specially developed for such purposes. For example, the silver cleaning fluid of the German manufacturer Leuchtturm not only helps to effectively clean, it also covers the product with a protective layer that protects silver from oxidation, while the stones do not spoil. Perhaps you should stock up with such means.
Note: How to clean gold with precious stones at home
