General Care to silver jewelry

How to protect your silver jewelry always confused people. Now you can easily wear your tiffany jewelry and don¡¯t be worried.
Steps:
Clean your silver jewelry often, and clean it promptly after use. Silver that is frequently used rarely has tarnish problems. When tarnish is not yet present, or when it¡¯s just beginning to develop, simply wash your silver in warm (not hot) water with a gentle, phosphate-free detergent.
It¡¯s a good idea to wash silver tiffany jewelry separately from your other dishes because metal sinks and utensils can scratch silver, and stainless steel can damage the finish if it comes into contact with your silver.
Avoid using rubber gloves when washing silver jewelry, as rubber corrodes silver. (Unlike the pictures you will see here, where rubber gloves were worn) Use a soft cloth to gently rub the silver clean, and dry promptly with a soft towel. Gently buff the shine into dull silver with a soft cotton cloth.
Prompt cleaning is especially important when the tiffany silver jewelry has been exposed to certain foods containing sulfur, or those which are acidic or salty. In particular, common foods such as table salt, eggs, some fruits, onions, mayonnaise, and vinegar are harmful to silver sterling jewelry. When possible use a plastic or glass insert when serving these foods in serving dishes. In any case, wash your silver right away or at least rinse it well with warm water, and don¡¯t leave silver sitting in dishwater that may contain traces of these foods.
Polish your silver jewelry. When tarnish develops on silver, simple hand washing may not suffice to remove it. Specially formulated silver polishes are your safest option for polishing silver, especially if you are dealing with an antique or a piece that has intricate designs etched into it. Follow the manufacturer¡¯s directions carefully.
Take a bit of polish. Moisten a soft silver-polishing cloth or the sponge included with the silver polish and take a little bit of polish.Rub the silver gently. Rub the silver only in straight-line, back-and-forth motions (not in circles). Avoid scrubbing; rather, let the polish do the job.Rinse under running water.Rinse the silver jewelry under running water.

Dry. Dry the silver completely with a soft, clean cloth.
Warning: This will remove any tarnish, even the antique-y ones. Dispose of salt water down the drain after cooling. This is a simple reaction between the aluminum metal and the silver sulfide (tarnish). The table salt acts as an electrolyte to allow the reaction to happen.
Store your silver correctly. Beyond prompt and frequent cleaning, the best way to preserve your silver jewelry is to store it correctly. Make sure each piece is completely dry before storing it. For silverware, wrap each piece in acid-free tissue paper or anti-tarnish paper. You can also wrap pieces in flannel (special flannels are made just for this purpose). Seal the wrapped silver pieces in an airtight plastic bag. Whether you put away your silver jewelry in a bag or you put it in a display case, a canister of silica gel placed nearby can help reduce humidity and ward off tarnish. Never store silver tiffany where it can contact rubber, stainless steel, or paint.
Below are tiffany silver jewelry from the online tiffany shop of saletiffany.com:

TIFFANY & CO. Tiffany Cushion ring
Sleek, chic and elegant. Ring in sterling silver.
Retail Price: $175.0USD
Our Price:  $43.99 USD
Instant Savings: $131.01 USD

TIFFANY & CO. Atlas® cuff links
Style has a name. Cuff links in sterling silver
Retail Price: $250.0USD
Our Price:  $49.99 USD
Instant Savings: $200.01 USD

TIFFANY & CO. Tiffany 1837™ bookmark
A stylish way to keep your place. Bookmark in sterling silver.
Retail Price: $75.0USD
Our Price: $49.55 USD
Instant Savings: $25.45 USD

Monday, March 09, 2009