Jewellery Care Guide
Caring for Your Silver Jewellery
One of the questions we’re asked most often at Diana Porter is how to care for silver jewellery. We’ve put together a few simple tips to help you keep your jewellery looking its best and enjoy it for years to come.
Diana Porter’s silver collection is made from 925 recycled sterling silver. Sterling silver is a precious metal that benefits from a little care and attention. Over time, all sterling silver jewellery will naturally tarnish when exposed to air. This happens because sterling silver is made from 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, primarily copper. It is these additional metals that react with oxygen and moisture, causing the surface of the silver to darken.
Tips for Caring for Your Jewellery:
• Avoid contact with creams and perfumes. Products such as hairspray, perfume, deodorant, body lotion and bleach can react with the surface of the silver and may accelerate tarnishing.
• Remove your jewellery before swimming or showering. Chlorine, salt water, soaps and other chemicals can affect the surface of silver.
• Take off your jewellery when exercising or playing sport. Sweat and moisture can contribute to tarnishing, while physical activity may also cause pieces to be scratched or damaged.
• Take extra care when your hands get wet. Check for any excess moisture on your skin or underneath your rings, particularly if you wear a wide or chunky ring. Trapped moisture can cause tarnishing to appear more quickly.
• Store your jewellery carefully when not wearing it. Keeping silver pieces in a dry, airtight jewellery box or pouch can help reduce exposure to air and moisture and slow down the natural tarnishing process.
Please see below a useful video on how to clean your jewellery at home:
Instructions on how to clean your jewellery at home
A little summer jewellery care
Why is my silver tarnishing? With the recent hot weather, you may notice your silver jewellery tarnishing a little faster than usual. Heat, sweat, sunscreen, skincare, perfume and the natural oils in our skin can all speed up the natural tarnishing process.
Silver reacts with sulphur compounds in sweat and moisture in the air, creating a thin layer that can make it appear dull or black.
Why it happens? Don't worry tarnishing is normal and not a sign that anything is wrong with your jewellery. Our chunky designs also have more surface area and hidden crevices, where these everyday products can build up which means they need an extra clean during hotter weather.
Alternative finish:
Some silver wearers find having a polished finish tarnishes the jewellery less, so if tarnishing is a recurring problem why not try having a polished finish.
Professional cleaning:
We offer a cleaning service, you can pop into the gallery, and we'll happily give it a professional clean for £5, this will get it looking good as new! Some customers opt to do this once or twice a year.
Cleaning silver with gemstones:
Use warm water and washing up liquid, use a soft brush to clear any debris around the settings, rinse off and polish dry with a lint-free cloth.
Pearls are porous so they should not be soaked in water. To restore their shine, use warm water and gently wiped with a soft cotton cloth. Place the pearls on a soft towel and let them air-dry thoroughly.
Polishing:
Polishing is a great way to spruce up sterling silver, that hasn’t tarnished too much. We recommend investing in a silver polishing cloth, and gently polish in the direction of the grain of the silver. Never polish in circles and don’t use tissues or paper towels.
Storage:
How you store your jewelry can really affect its longevity. We recommend storing your Jewellery in an airtight jewellery box or even in little airtight ziplock bags.
Also remember to store your jewellery in its own box or pouch to prevent scratching and chipping.
If your piece needs a professional clean, we encourage you to bring in your Diana Porter jewellery to our Bristol store and we'll professionally inspect and clean it for a small charge of £5 per item. Please note we do not offer a refinishing service during October, November and December due to the busy Christmas period.
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