How to clean sterling silver jewellery?

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   Peelander Gallyposted 12 years ago

   You can get all kinds of inexpensive silver polish. Here's one:
   
   http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/earth- … 003b73ebf8

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      galleryofgraceposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      In the U.S. Jewelry is spelled "jewelry"!

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         IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yes but the word is jewellery in British English as well as most other English speaking countries in the world.
         
         http://www.naroka.com/jewelry_news/Jewelry_vs_Jewellery
         
         This article is more or less correct, except for the typos and bad grammar.

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   Robie Benveposted 12 years ago

   I've had some success using toothpaste.
   It takes the tarnish off the silver jewelry and gets the shine back. Plus it smells fresh. : )

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   Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years ago

   I've also heard of using lipstick - the creamy texture acts as a gentle polish.  I always keep some of those silver cloths around for chains, etc. that need a touch-up or have gotten tarnished.

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   Horatio Plotposted 12 years ago

   You can make your own home cleaning dip for silver as follows. Crumple a piece of aluminium foil in a large container with some washing soda and pour boiling water over it. Be careful as some fumes may be given off but this is a normal electrochemical reaction so do not worry. Immerse the silver and leave until all the tarnish has been removed, then rinse and dry. The solution does not need to be strong - two tablespoons of washing soda to one gallon of water will do the trick.
   Another equally successful way is to use an aluminium pan, put some bicarbonate of soda or washing soda crystals in it, place the silver in the pan and cover with water. Bring the water up to boiling point but do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and leave the silver until the tarnish has all been removed, which will only take a minute of two. The solution should be two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda or half a teacup of washing soda crystals to 4 pints of water.

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      Sally's Troveposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      What is washing soda or washing soda crystals? I know what bicarb of soda is, but what are these other two?

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         Horatio Plotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         We use washing soda crystals for lots of stuff in the UK. They are crystals of sodium carbonate. It is similar to bicarb of soda which is sodium bicarbonate. There is a small difference between the the two but I'm no chemist so I can't explain it exactly. Domestically it is used as a water softener and is also used to remove oil and wine stains. You can also use it as a drain cleaner.

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            Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            I'm from the UK and I've never heard of washing soda, bicarb, yes, but not washing soda.

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               IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               That soda stuff you get to clean the drains is washing soda I believe. Soda crystals.
               
               Edit : http://www.dri-pak.co.uk/soda-crystals. … JBkRcXtQ8o
               
               Do you know what is brilliant for cleaning drains? Bicarbonate of soda followed by a skoosh of vinegar. It explodes LOL - great fun

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                  Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                  Ah, remember soda crystals, a poor mans plumber (by a poor man I mean me. lol) Just found this:
                  
                  "bicarbonate of soda" is Sodium Hydroden Carbonate.
                  "soda crystals" are Sodium Carbonate, IIRC.
                  "caustic soda" is Sodium Hydroxide.
                  
                  Therefore, Horatio, saying that you can use bicarb in the same way as you can use soda crystals is like saying that water can be used in the same way as air.

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                     IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                     I don't know much about chemistry either, but I'm pretty sure the reason bicarb or washing soda is used to clean metals is because they are excellent conductors of electricity.
                     
                     Horatio mentioned putting silver foil in the dish with the water and that is something to do with creating an electric field allowing the electrons from the tarnish on the silver to transfer to the aluminium foil, so the two must be touching.
                     
                     Oh and the 'fumes given off' are highly poisonous hydrogen sulphide (sulfide in US English).
                     
                     I metal detect. I clean my coins in the tumbling machine mostly. I've never found a valuable coin so I just clean them up as I please.
                     
                     I found a 1917 half crown the other day - 14g of pure silver! lol It's worth more as silver than it is as a coin.

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                        Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                        I have a really old florin (think that's the correct spelling) my dad found it on his way to work, when he worked in Salford, years ago. You can barely see the imprint and it's quite large. I'd never sell it, even if it it was worth something. 'Twas my dad's pride and joy!

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                           IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                           Before the 2nd World War, silver coins contained real silver but in ever diminishing quantities because when a coin of the realm is worth more as scrap metal than their face value, people would melt them down instead of spending them.
                           
                           From 1947, I think it was, all silver coins contained no silver at all.
                           
                           I have found quite a few florins (2 bob bits). I found one on the beach the other day while two young lads were fishing.
                           
                           They had never seen one before LOL
                           
                           When I was young they were legal tender. Makes me feel really old!
                           
                           
                           

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                              Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                              It doesn't like like that, and if my memory serves me correctly it's dated something like 1897. I'm going to dig it out and post a picture, you have me intrigued now.

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                                 IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                                 Look forward to seeing the pic! That was a two shilling bit, but still had the (common) name florin even though it no longer said florin on it.
                                 
                                 Sounds like yours is an original florin from the Victoria era?

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                                    Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                                    Possibly, I'm going to my mum's house later- I take her dinner up on a Thursday, I'll dig it out and get a pic. It's very worn and you can just barely make the markings out on it.

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                                       Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                                       I've just realised it's Wednesday- where's my head at today? I'll take the pic tomorrow. I was convinced it was Thursday today- must my age. lol

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                                          IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

                                          I get the day wrong all the time LOL
                                          
                                          Was it like this?
                                          
                                          

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      ptosisposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      aluminium foil seems to be the trick with hot water and salt -make sure the silver doesn't touch the foil.

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         IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The silver does need to be in contact with the aluminum. For silver sulphide to be reduced to silver, electrons must flow to it from the aluminum, and there needs to be metal-to-metal contact so the electrons can flow. Ions flow through the liquid, electrons flow through metal.
         
         http://www.finishing.com/145/02.shtml
         
         Just saying.

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         That Grrlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         The silver does touch the foil. That's what makes it work.

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      That Grrlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I cover the pan with the foil. Otherwise you're going to have all that tarnish to clean off your pan. Much simpler to have it on the foil paper and just toss it out.

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   Hollie Thomasposted 12 years ago

   Yes, but which one, bicarb or soda crystals. They are different compounds.

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      IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I love this line from the Minelab site -
      
      One of the main ingredients of A&H Super Washing Soda is sodium carbonate, which is two extra sodium molecules and a missing hydrogen molecule away from being sodium bicarbonate (better known as baking soda), except it’s too busy spending its time being soap.
      
      http://www.minelabowners.com/coincleaning.html

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         Horatio Plotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Hi Izzy. Lol, that's a very funny quote.
         Here's a video of a guy trying out your drain cleaning trick with baking soda (notice - not soda crystals) and vinegar. But he swallows it instead of pouring it down the drain.
         I would warn you not to watch it if you are offended by bad language or don't want to watch a man regurgitating a mouthful of frothing baking soda as the mixture explodes in his mouth. But it is funny...
         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJCzxgII … ure=fvwrel

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   Horatio Plotposted 12 years ago

   Hi Hollie - The answer Hollie appears to be both!
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRNAqh4-lF8
   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5Qnbn366G0
   So it seems you can breath underwater after all!

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      Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Would you clean your teeth with soda crystals?

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         Horatio Plotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Yes Hollie, I think I would. Obviously you would not use sodium carbonate in the form of large crystals, but both Sodium Carbonate and Sodium Bicarbonate are used in the manufacture of toothpaste.
         They also both clean silver.
         Take care.

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            Hollie Thomasposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            You're a braver man than me. Now I have visions of large crystals on your toothbrush!

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               Horatio Plotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

               Ha! If it worked on gold, I could do the fillings and the teeth at the same time.

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   kathleenkatposted 12 years ago

   I use the basic jewelry cleaning solution they sell at jewelers; works great!

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   Tusitala Tomposted 12 years ago

   Same as for tarnished brass, I'd imagine.  Brasso, if you can buy some.  If not, Worchester Sauce is supposedly acidic enough to do the trick.   Dip the silver in and just give it a rub.

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      Horatio Plotposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      And a lick.

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         That Grrlposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         It would taste awful, like sulfur.

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   That Grrlposted 12 years ago

   I polish the silver at our house. For most of it I can use baking soda, boiling water and silver foil paper. It's really simple and works amazingly well.

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