Care of your 925 Sterling Silver Jewellery from Engraved Gifts Online

Sterling silver does tarnish due to its nature.  Tarnish is caused by a chemical reaction between the silver, air and moisture.  It can be accelerated as a reaction to your skin chemistry, your medication or skin care products, hairspray, deodorant, latex gloves and even some foods.  The following tips will help you keep your 925 sterling silver jewellery at its best.

Avoid contact with chemicals, detergents, paints, cleaning fluids etc. and if possible remove when bathing or swimming.

Clean your silver by wiping gently with a soft Silver Cleaning Cloth.  Avoid using paper towels, tissue paper or abrasive cleaning products.  Use dip products only when absolutely necessary and dip for a very short time, as this could eventually lead to tarnishing more easily.  When polishing your 925 sterling silver jewellery with a polishing cloth, the cloth will naturally become black as it removes the top layer of tarnish from the metal.  It is not necessary to polish your jewellery before storing it, just polish it before use if necessary.

When storing for long periods, wrap in cling film or store in an airtight polythene bag, to avoid air exposure and guard against changes in humidity.  Never wrap in newspaper or use rubber bands.  We recommend that you store your 925 sterling silver jewellery in a cool, dry place away from jewellery made of other metals.  Alternatively keep it in an individual cloth pouch, to prevent it from being scratched.

What does 925 Sterling Silver mean?

Fine Silver (99.9% pure) is too soft to use for most jewellery items.  Therefore the silver is usually alloyed with other metals to give it strength while preserving the beauty of the precious metal.  The term 925 Sterling Silver relates to the alloy containing 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals.  All of the silver jewellery that we sell is 925 Sterling Silver.  Items weighing over 7.78 grams are required by law to be hallmarked with 925.  Occasionally, in the case of pendants, the hallmark will be found on the ring rather than on the piece itself, so as not to detract from the beauty of the pendant.  Or in the case of identity bracelets, the 925 stamp may be on the clasp rather than on the ID bar.