Jewelry made of precious metals, including silver jewelry, is subject to numerous mechanical damages during daily use, because silver is a fairly soft metal by nature. Rings and chains made of silver are especially susceptible to such a threat. As a result, your favorite piece of jewelry can quickly lose its presentable look and permanently migrate to a dark jewelry box. But when buying a piece of jewelry that we like, we do not want to quickly part with it because of minor damage and scuffs. To solve this common problem, jewelers use a special treatment procedure by applying rhodium plating to silver or silver gilding.
Gilded silver is 925 sterling silver (an alloy containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper or other metals) that has been plated with gold. Gilding is carried out either mechanically or by electrolysis. An item is considered silver-plated if it is made of 925 sterling silver and all of its surfaces are plated with gold or gold alloy.
A very important point is how to clean gold-plated silver, and how to care for gold-plated silver.
Jewelry Care
To keep gilded silver for a long time, it must be carefully cared for. You can not clean gilded silver with folk methods: the gold coating can be erased very easily. Gilded silver requires special care. Products made of gilded silver can only be wiped with a dry cloth, preferably with suede. Since gilded silver is difficult to care for, special care must be taken when choosing cleaning products. Before cleaning gold-plated silver, remember that no abrasives (even the softest ones) can be used.
First of all, in order to protect jewelry from contamination and damage, they must be removed during household chores, as well as when using cosmetic preparations: bleaching creams, soaps, perfumes, acetone.
It is better not to take jewelry on vacation at sea. But if it is generally impossible to part with your favorite chain, you need to remove it before bathing. Most chains now have clasps that use steel springs that corrode quickly in sea water.
It is better to store all jewelry in a closed box or box (which themselves can be a dressing table decoration) away from heaters and direct sunlight. Do not store silver in boxes made of cardboard, as the packaging can also release sulfur, for example, which adversely affects silver.
Under the influence of ultraviolet rays, amethysts, colored topazes (except gold), pearls and turquoise, as well as rubies and garnets, lose their color intensity. Ruby from strong heat can completely lose color.
All jewelry with stone inserts is “afraid” of sudden changes in temperature and high humidity. Therefore, the bathroom is the most inappropriate place to store jewelry, and especially silver.
In order for gilded silver to remain like new for a long time, products must be carefully looked after. Cleaning should be carried out at regular intervals, preventing the products from becoming covered with a green or gray coating.
Before any cleaning procedure, remove dust from products, wipe the surface with a soft sponge moistened with medical, ethyl or denatured alcohol. It is completely safe for gold-plated products and allows you to quickly remove greasy deposits, dust and stains that have appeared.
Instead of alcohol, you can use table vinegar to clean gilded silver. Vinegar is used in two ways. First - dilute 2 tablespoons of 8% vinegar in one liter of water, place the product in the solution for 15 minutes, rinse with running water, wipe with suede. The second way - dilute two tablespoons of 8% vinegar in a glass of water, moisten the sponge, wipe the products, wipe dry and clean with suede.
Cleaning
Wine alcohol does an excellent job of removing tarnish on gilded silver and is also completely safe for gilding. Moisten a cotton pad, wipe the products, treat with a suede cloth to a shine.
Another way to safely clean gilded silver is by using beer. You can soak darkened items in it for 30 minutes, rinse with running water, dry and polish to a shine with a woolen or suede cloth.
Completely green objects can be cleaned with a soapy solution with a few drops of ammonia. For 1 liter of warm water, add 1 teaspoon of dishwashing detergent and 6 drops of ammonia. Soak items for 30 minutes, rinse with running water, dry, rub to a shine with a soft cloth.
Before cleaning gold-plated products, wipe with a soft sponge or piece of cotton wool. Just pre-moisten a sponge or cotton wool with turpentine or wine alcohol. If you do not have such liquids, you can get by with a good strong beer or a mixture of soap and ammonia in a 4: 1 ratio.
Gilding and egg whites clean well. They need to carefully wipe the item using a piece of flannel. You can use a mixture of proteins (from 2-3 eggs) with javelin water (18 g). With the resulting composition, treat the product with a soft brush, paying special attention to the faded areas.
For the same purpose, pure wine vinegar is used. Cover the product with it with a soft brush, a piece of cotton wool or a sponge. After 5 minutes, carefully rinse off the vinegar with clean water and leave the item to dry without rubbing it.
To wash gilded jewelry, immerse them in warm soapy water for 10-20 minutes, where you must first drop ammonia (2 tsp for each liter of water). Alcohol will enhance the brilliance of the gilding, making it easy to clean the item. In addition, it is a good antistatic agent. After rinsing the gilded objects in clean water, wipe them dry.
Gold-plated silver is resistant to corrosion and combines the lightness and low price of silver with high-quality gold plating and its incomparable brilliance.
Based on materials from the Internet.
Not everyone can afford to buy a piece of pure gold, so many people prefer gold-plated silver jewelry. Such decorations look very impressive and are relatively inexpensive. But over time, all jewelry loses its original brilliance and beauty: silver is no exception, even gold-plated. We will tell you how to properly care for it and clean it so as to get rid of blackness.
But first, so that there are no disappointments, you must first of all choose it correctly.
How to choose a quality jewelry?
In order to choose the right product, you need to know some selection rules, that will help you become the owner of high-quality jewelry:
- If there is no hallmark on the product, then it is unlikely that you are offered to buy silver jewelry. Most likely it is jewelry, covered with gilding. Thus, manufacturers significantly reduce the cost of goods, and when you buy this product, you get a low-quality thing that will deform.
- It is best to give preference to a product from 925 samples. It is much better quality and, accordingly, will delight you for many years.
- Remember that the percentage of gilding should not be less than 40%. You can always ask the seller to tell you more about the product and show documents that would match his words.
How to wear and store?
Many are sure that the gilding wears off very quickly, and as a result, the jewelry is not as spectacular as it was immediately after purchase. For example, if after a shower the decoration began to quickly lose its appearance, then most likely you bought a fake. Real gilded silver cannot be damaged by water alone. If you know some rules and wear it correctly, then your favorite jewelry will delight for many years:
- It is advisable not to take a shower if you are wearing earrings or a chain. Firstly, in this way, the product will fade, since soapy water will do everything necessary for this. Secondly, after a shower, you should not rub the product with a towel, as you can really ruin it. Therefore, before going to the shower, remove all jewelry.
- It is also better not to wear jewelry during sports. From the fact that human sweat falls on a gilded jewelry, it loses its appearance.
- Store the product in a box. Try to keep it in a separate box and don't store all your jewelry together as they can scratch each other.
- Jewelry should be cleaned regularly, then it will last a long time. But you need to do it right.
- Do not store the product in the bathroom, because due to high humidity, it can quickly lose its luster.
- Make it a rule for yourself: after everyday wear, wipe the jewelry with a piece of suede cloth. This will help keep the product clean and will not have to be cleaned frequently with more drastic methods.
How to clean the product?
Cleaning jewelry at home is quite realistic. The main thing: to know exactly how to do it correctly in order to restore its former shine, and not ruin the product.
It is very easy to clean a tarnished piece of gold with baking soda, which is in every home. To do this, in a glass of warm water, you need to dissolve one or two teaspoons of soda, and then lower the product there. After half an hour, you can get the decoration. Scrub it with a soft toothbrush and you'll see the blackness and dullness go away. After that, you need to rinse it in running cold water and dry it. Dry with a paper towel so as not to damage the gilding.
By the way, since we are talking about a toothbrush, there is another effective method that helps get rid of stains and restore shine to jewelry. To do this, you will need not only a toothbrush, but also the paste itself. Apply toothpaste to the surface of the product and gently rub all problem areas with a very soft brush. High-quality gilding will not be damaged, and the product will again shine with its magical brilliance.
If your gold-plated item is a little dull and needs a little cleaning, the most common sugar will help you. Dissolve two tablespoons of sugar in a glass of warm water and dip the decoration there. After three or four hours, take it out and rinse it in water. You will see: the product will become clean and will shine as before.
Regular ammonia, which is in every home first aid kit, will help rid the jewelry of blackness and restore shine. In a glass of water, preferably warm, dissolve one teaspoon of ammonia and add a couple of drops of detergent. It can be dishwashing liquid or just liquid soap. The product must be left in the liquid for at least one hour.
After this procedure, the decoration will again be shiny and clean.
Sometimes gilded silver is covered with too dark and black spots, which seem impossible to remove. But, if you buy wine alcohol, you can easily clean the product from blackness. Wet a soft sponge or cotton pad with this alcohol and wipe the product. No more stains!
How to create a bright image?
And now - a few tips that will help you complete a bright image and amaze everyone around with your beauty.
If you decide to wear, for example, a gold-plated silver pendant, then remember that you should only wear gold jewelry. Try not to combine gold with silver.
As a rule, fashionistas choose gold-plated pendants most often. Try to wear an outfit with a "V" neckline, then your pendant will look just fine. Especially if your decoration is not too big and massive.
Try to wear earrings, pendants from the same set. So you will look more impressive. If you chose too large earrings, then you should not choose a large pendant or pendant - this is not beautiful.
If you are right-handed, then be sure to wear the bracelet on your right hand. It will be much more effective. Also, try not to match the bracelet and watch together.
Gold-plated products are popular due to their brightness and expensive appearance, at a relatively low price relative to gold products. With improper storage or frequent use, the product gradually loses its performance characteristics: it darkens and fades. Keeping the product clean and tidy is easy if you use the tricks and secrets of cleaning and care. This article contains the most effective and proven ways to clean gilding at home.
A gilded thing is different from silver or gold, so the methods that are used for them are categorically not suitable. Gold plating is very easy to ruin. The first stage of cleaning is the removal of surface dirt - dust, stains, grease. To do this, it is enough to treat the surface with alcohol or turpentine.
Gold plating is soft, so it is not recommended to use strong mechanical impact, as there is a risk of surface damage. Suede fabric is excellent for care, it adds shine to products and removes stains. To clean a gold-plated watch, sometimes it is enough to process it with suede. If you need to clean gilded silverware, first remove the fat from it.
Do the following before processing:
- Take a clean, dry cloth and wipe the gilding with it. Flannel, suede and wool are perfect for this.
- Then remove surface dirt.
Methods for removing tarnish from gilding
To clean gilding at home, it is necessary to select the product carefully so as not to harm the capricious surface. If the darkening spots have a small area and are not very ingrained, then at home it is enough to apply polishing with a cloth. In case of severe contamination, if the item has been stored without care for a long time, an effective cleaning method will be required.
wine spirit
Gold-plated products at home are easily cleaned from darkening and dirt with the help of wine alcohol. Saturate a soft sponge with the product and treat the surface of the product. You can replace alcohol with wine vinegar, which can be found in the kitchen. At the final stage, treat the surface with suede to rub the surface to the desired shine.
Cleaning with beer
You can clean a gilded chain, earrings, a ring and other products pollinated with gold at home with beer. Strange as it may seem, but the mild effect of this alcoholic drink effectively copes with the darkening of the coating and with any contamination, excluding damage to the material.
Pour beer into a glass, dip a gilded item into it and leave for 30 minutes, then rinse thoroughly and wipe dry.
soap solution
Take any solid soap and grate it on a coarse grater. Take 1 tsp. shavings and dilute in 1 liter. warm water. For best results, use a couple of drops of ammonia added to soapy water. Dip the gilding into the container for 30 minutes, rinse with cool running water, wipe dry with a clean cloth. The tool effectively fights stains that have a green tint.
Alcohol and turpentine
The products help fight grease stains, darkening and dirt on the surface of gold-plated products. Ethyl, medical, denatured alcohol is suitable for cleaning. Take one of the products available in the house, saturate a soft sponge with it, process the gilding, wash off the remaining dirt and products under running water, polish with a cloth.
table vinegar
The diluted agent is used as a wiping or soaking product.
- Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 tbsp. water, moisten the sponge and treat the surface with the composition.
- Stir 2 tbsp. acids in 1 liter. water and place the item in the composition for 15 minutes.
After all the procedures, it is important to wash the gilding from the remnants of the product and dry it thoroughly. Acid residues can destroy the gilding layer and permanently ruin your favorite jewelry or cutlery.
Egg white for darkening
Break the egg and separate the yolk from the protein. In this recipe, we need protein. Dip a cotton pad into the protein and process the gilding with it. Cleaning will restore shine and brightness to the coating. The effectiveness of the product will be higher if you add a tablespoon of whiteness to the protein. When working with a chemical agent, you will need to protect your skin with gloves.
Egg yolk and sorrel water
Take the yolk and beat it well, add 1 tbsp. oxalic water. Soak a cotton pad in the solution and wipe the surface thoroughly. Rinse the product in running water, dry and polish.
Processing nuances
- Products with stones require the use of gentle products. When immersed or processed, there is a risk of damage to the stone or the attachment to the product.
- Carefully inspect the product, some elements may be made of plain metal, which may rust after cleaning. Therefore, it is not recommended to immerse the product, it is enough to wipe it.
- For cleaning, it is recommended to purchase special professional products that can be purchased at a jewelry store.
How can you clean gilding?
Any products used must not contain abrasive particles. Even the smallest particles can severely damage the coating. For example, you can not clean the gilding with chalk, toothpaste, soda or powder.
Any abrasive will cause scratches.
Some products are coated with a very thin layer of spray, abrasives easily erase it. Do not use coarse washcloths and brushes, as well as aggressive acids for cleaning.
Prevention and care rules
The gold plating wears off over time. Constant operation leads to a gradual thinning of the spray layer. Following some recommendations, you can extend the service life. Rules for the care of gilded products:
- Polish cutlery and jewelry regularly with a chamois cloth.
- Minimize contact with water, perfume and body creams.
- Place each product separately so that they do not touch each other. Replace jewelry after each use. Organize each decoration in separate suede bags, and cutlery in special boxes.
Clean regularly, regardless of whether the product has lost its attractive appearance or not.
Many of our customers often ask: "How to care for products?" Therefore, today I want to talk about what kind of care jewelry from silver And silver with gilding .
It's no secret that any thing requires careful care, and jewelry, of course, is no exception. It often happens that the same products for one person retain their original appearance for a long time, sometimes even without special care, and for another - after a short time, they fade, blacken, lose their appearance and luster. What is the reason?
It turns out that just as the smell of perfume is revealed differently on a particular person, metals also behave differently when in contact with the skin of their owner and find themselves in adverse conditions. Unfavorable factors for silver and gold-plated products are:
- compounds of sulfur and iodine (creams, cosmetics, drugs);
- high temperatures (bath, sauna);
- sweat (sports);
- individual acid-base environment of a person;
- taking some mineral vitamin complexes.
In our production, we use two types of coatings: silvering And gilding- the main metal with which we work, every jewelry lover knows about its nobility and plasticity.
However, despite the excellent characteristics, silver products need proper care, as they are more prone to loss of luster than other precious metals, so they require more careful care and careful wearing. In our work we use 925 sterling silver (an alloy of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper).
How to care for silver?
Silver care is easy. It is enough to clean the products once a month and wipe them from time to time suede or flannel napkin.Here are the basic rules for caring for silver:
Avoid using rough sponges or abrasives when cleaning silver. This can lead to micro-scratches, tarnishing of the product, which can only be corrected with the help of professional polishing.
For regular silver care, you can soak the item in soapy water, rinse thoroughly, remove moisture and polish with suede.
In case of significant contamination or blackening, it is better to clean silver in a jewelry workshop.
How can you clean silver at home?
There are many recipes for removing blackness from silver. This metal and products made from it are perfectly cleaned without losing their properties. To understand how to properly clean silver, it is important to remember the main principle: before using any chemicals (ammonia, soda, hydrogen peroxide), you must hold the product in soapy water then rinse thoroughly.
Soda cleaning
The most affordable and effective way to clean silver is baking soda.
Before you clean silver with baking soda, do not forget to hold the item in soapy water. For cleaning, use a soda solution: add 50 g of soda to 1 liter of hot water.
If you need to clean blackness from silver, prepare a little gruel by slightly moistening soda with water. Take a little gruel on your fingers or a cotton pad and gently rub the item until the black patina comes off and the silver shines. Can be used to clean hard to reach areas soft toothbrush or brush.
Cleaning silver with soda should be done carefully, trying not to overdo it and not scratch the product.
Cleaning with ammonia
Before cleaning silver ammonia, wash the product in warm soapy water. Light dirt can be cleaned by adding a spoonful of ammonia (a tablespoon per liter) to a warm soapy solution.
And for pollution it is more difficult - you can prepare a mixture of chalk and ammonia in the form of gruel, and apply it to a silver item. Let the mixture dry. Then rinse thoroughly with water and dry with a soft cloth.
However, it must be remembered that rubber, silicone And leather inserts in jewelry do not allow contact with these chemicals. They also do not allow prolonged contact with water (especially sea water), they cannot be exposed to heat. Contaminants from these elements are removed with warm water using a toothbrush (except for oil stains), then the products are dried at room temperature.
Jewelry that contains items from mother of pearl, require especially careful wearing and care. is an organic material, mostly soft, porous and brittle. It must not be dropped, scratched, subjected to heat, any mechanical influences are contraindicated for it. The same goes for products. with enamel.
Products with mother-of-pearl should be cleaned especially carefully
How to care for gilding?
Silver products with gilding more attention should be paid, as the 999 gold plating is no more than 5 microns thick. For all its durability, it can be erased if the product is used improperly. In particular, these can be chemical influences (cosmetic, medicinal and household products) or mechanical damage (friction, shock, etc.).
To clean the gilding, you can do this:
Wet product vinegar with a rag. After 5 minutes, rinse the vinegar with water and let the product dry without wiping it;
To remove dust from gilded objects, you need to carefully wipe them with a piece of cotton wool slightly moistened with wine spirit;
Bringing back the luster of tarnished gilding egg whites, which gently rub the product with a piece of flannel.
Egg whites will help restore shine to products
You can also use special wipes and liquids for cleaning jewelry, designed taking into account the characteristics of precious metals. The choice of such funds is varied. Special wipes and liquids can be purchased at a jewelry store.
You immerse the soiled items in the cleaning agent, and after a few minutes (depending on the degree of contamination) you take out shiny, like new, jewelry. The solution can be used to clean items with or without gems.
Jewelry storage.
Jewelry should be stored in closed cases, boxes, do not transmit light and dust, in a dry room. So that the products do not come into contact with each other, they can be placed in small pouches from soft fabric.
Ideally, it would be nice to have your jewelry once a year for an inexpensive cleaning by a specialist jeweler who works on special equipment. In this case, the best result can be achieved, after such a procedure, your jewelry will sparkle in a new way!
925 sterling silver with gold plating is called gold-plated. Jewelry made of gilded silver has a lot of fans and this is understandable - such products look great, and their cost is affordable compared to high-karat gold. But, like all jewelry, gold-plated silver jewelry loses its appeal over time, so each of their owners is wondering how to clean the gilding and at the same time not harm it. Such fears are not groundless, because gold-plated silver is more susceptible to negative factors than silver without impurities.
Shoe silver with gilt velvet
How to clean?
Caring for silver with gilding, regardless of the choice of cleaning agent, follows the rules:
- Only a soft material, such as suede, can be used to clean gold-plated silver items.
- Whatever the product is cleaned with, before manipulation it should be cleaned of dust, dirt and grease. To do this, take a soft sponge (cosmetic disc), soak it with medical alcohol (turpentine), and then gently wipe the product.
- Excellent for cleaning jewelry with gilding table vinegar. So, in a liter of water, dilute 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and then lower the product into this solution for 15 minutes. Then the jewelry should be wiped with a piece of suede and air-dried.
What to process?
There are recipes for effective products used to care for gilded silver. They are easy to apply and prepare at home:
- Wine alcohol. They take a sponge (cotton pad), put a little of this alcohol on it and wipe the product. After that, the decoration is rubbed to a shine with a piece of suede.
- Beer. Perfectly deletes pollution from a surface of a silver product with a dusting of gold beer. You should take a glass of foamy drink and lower jewelry that needs cleaning into it. After 30 minutes, the product is removed from the solution and washed under a tap. At the end of the manipulation, the jewelry is rubbed to a shine with suede.
- Soap + ammonia. Such a tool helps to clean silver, which is very dirty and has an unattractive appearance. To prepare a cleaning solution, you need to take 1 liter of water and add a teaspoon of dishwashing gel or toilet soap grated on a fine grater. After that, add 6 drops of ammonia to the solution. Silver is immersed in the resulting liquid for half an hour, after which it is washed under running water.
- Egg white + javel water. First of all, it should be clarified what Javel water is - it is a solution of sodium chloride and hypochlorite. An example of such a solution is the well-known "Whiteness" used to bleach fabrics. To clean silver, you should prepare the protein, namely, beat it to foam with a fork. Then add a tablespoon of javelin water to the protein. Soak a piece of suede or a sponge with the solution, then rub the jewelry to a shine.
table vinegar
All these remedies are applicable to silver, which has only gilding, but not precious stones and impurities of other metals. The thing is that the components of cleaning products can adversely affect the appearance and quality of the stones and other metals present in the product.
In order not to spoil the gold-plated silver jewelry, it is important to know what products should not be used to clean them. For example, it is chalk, cleaning powder and other products consisting of abrasive particles. The thing is that the abrasive can scratch or completely erase the gilding.
All silver items with gold plating require careful storage. Avoid getting any cosmetics on such jewelry, as their components can ruin the product. Do not store silver in direct sunlight and in cardboard boxes (cardboard may contain sulfur, which adversely affects the metal). It is recommended to remove silver jewelry before swimming, handwork, going to the pool or the gym.
Compliance with all these rules will help to maintain the magnificent appearance of silver products with gilding for a long time.
