Amazing! 10 ways to resist oxidative blackening of silver jewelry comparison

by mittag jewelry

In our article “What! The truth is…! The battle between silver and electroplated alloy jewelry”, we introduce in details that the maintenance method of alloy jewelry is not at all simpler than silver jewelry. However, after all, sterling silver will oxidize is a fact, but how to effectively and easily maintain silver is what we like to tell you through this article.

The blackening of silver is a common oxidation reaction. In simple terms, the higher the silver purity, the easier to get oxidative of the surface of the silver jewelry without other electroplating alloys. In addition, it is more related to the wearer and the environment in which it is worn; people who sweat more or have higher sulfur content in their sweat, and who often apply perfumes and cosmetics, the worn silver jewelries are more likely to oxidize and darken.

If your silver jewelry is easy to darken, then congratulations on the genuine silver jewelry that you have bought. But how can you simply maintain the silver jewelry? In fact, there are really many ways to restore silver jewelry on internet. We hereby provide you with a truly effective way to choose through the practical operation, and propose them from the standpoint of professional jewelry manufacturers.

1.Wipe with silver polishing clothes: (preparation materials: silver polishing clothes)

Use a professional silver polishing cloth (provided by mittag with products) to wipe back and forth in the same direction and minimize scratches. In general, mild to moderate oxidation should be easy to remove, and this is the best way and the simplest way, but the details of the trench cannot be thoroughly cleaned. In addition, please note that do not wash the silver polishing cloth, otherwise it will reduce or lose function.

2.Toothpaste brushing method: (preparation materials: old toothbrush, toothpaste without abrasive particles, water)

Use toothpaste without abrasive particles to gently scrub with a soft toothbrush, rinse with water, and dry with a soft cloth. This is also suitable for mild to moderate oxidation treatment and is also relatively simple for you. However, if the original silver design is partially vulcanized, it is recommended to use a dry cloth to wipe, to avoid the vulcanization return to silver.

3.Immersion silver washing water method: (preparation materials: silver washing water, water)

The use of silver washing water is also a method you can choose, but because of the slightly corrosive nature, the surface of the silver jewelry, especially the bright silver jewelry, will have fogging effect after repeating use of silver washing water. The advantage is that it only needs to immerse and can clean deep slit, it needs to rinse with plenty of water after use. This method is suitable for medium and heavy silver oxidation treatment. However, it must be noted that if the design of the silver jewelry is partially vulcanized, it will be completely silvery if it is soaked in silver wash water and cannot be restored to a vulcanized state. Attention must be paid before use.

4.Baking soda dry brush method: (preparation materials: baking soda powder, old toothbrush, water)

To use dry old toothbrush directly with baking soda powder and scrub it on the silver jewelry. If the baking soda powder is insufficient, please apply it again. For example, a necklace that is heavily oxidized and blackened, it takes about 2 to 3 minutes to restore the silver gloss, and you can clearly see that the residual baking soda powder will be yellow. However, please note that the slits that cannot be brushed by the toothbrush cannot be cleaned and restored. However, in the original design, the partially vulcanized silver should be carefully brushed by a dry cloth to avoid the vulcanization being removed.

5.Baking soda aluminum foil soaking method: (preparation materials: small pot, baking soda powder, aluminum foil, hot water)

First fold the aluminum foil (about 30 cm X 15 cm) into the bottom of the pan, put the silver on the aluminum foil, put the baking soda powder, and let the baking soda powder completely cover the silver jewelry. Finally, leave it to chemically change after pouring hot water. After soaking for about 15 minutes, rinse with water. This method is more suitable for light and medium oxide silver. However, the original design of partially vulcanized silver is not suitable for this method.

6.Baking soda aluminum foil boiling method: (preparation materials: small pot, baking soda, aluminum foil, gas stove, stainless steel chopsticks)

Put the appropriate water into the pot and heat it to boiling and then turn to low heat. Fold the aluminum foil (about 30 cm X 15 cm) into the pan to fit the bottom of the pan, put the silver on the aluminum foil, put the baking soda powder, and let the baking soda powder completely cover the silver. Stir the silver in boiling water with stainless steel chopsticks or small clips to accelerate the reaction. About 2~3 minutes, the silver jewelry can return to the silver bright state. However, the original design of partially vulcanized silver is not suitable for this method. This method is suitable for heavy oxide silver, and it is very effective and easy to use.

7.Carbonated immersion method: (preparation materials: white vinegar 50c.c., baking soda 1 tablespoon, water)

The oxide silver is placed in a mixture of white vinegar and baking soda powder and waited. After 11 hours, it was taken out and wiped with a damp cloth. The effect was limited. It may be that we placed with heavily oxidized silver. Therefore, we believe that this method is only suitable for light silver oxide ornaments, and who does not care to wait for a long time.

以鹽巴水加入鋁箔並以火加熱雖然對變黑的銀飾還原有效但是比小蘇打鋁箔加熱法相比效果較差

8.Salt aluminum foil boiling method: (preparation materials: small pot, salt, aluminum foil, gas stove, stainless steel chopsticks)

Put the appropriate water into the pot and heat it to boiling and then turn to low heat. Fold the aluminum foil (approx. 30 cm X 15 cm) put it on the bottom of the pan, place the silver on the aluminum foil, and add the salt. The stainless steel chopsticks or small clips are used to clamp the silver in the boiling salt water to stir back and forth to accelerate the reaction. About 3 to 4 minutes, the heavily oxidized silver will return to the silver state. However, the original design of partially vulcanized silver is not suitable for this method. This method is suitable for heavy oxide silver. Although it is effective and easy to use, it is slightly inferior to the baking soda aluminum foil method because it needs more boiled time.

9.Yogurt Wiping Method: (Preparation material: sugar-free yoghurt, dry cloth / kitchen paper towel)

Wipe the silver oxide with a dry cloth or a kitchen towel with a little yoghurt. The lactic acid in the yoghurt will cause the oxide layer to peel off. After 10 minutes of hard work wiping, it was found that the heavy silver oxide silvers were recovered but with limited recovery. This method is suitable for light silver oxide items, but it is very poor in comparison with other methods.

10.High temperature sintering method: (direct return to mittag)

The cleaning service provided by mittag is a more professional but complicated process. It allows the silver jewelry to sinter at a high temperature of 700-800 degrees, which not only allows sweat, body dirt and oxide on the surface of the silver jewelry to be deep cleaned; moreover, it can crystallize and release stress inside the silver jewelry, and then we re-increase the hardness and polishing step (if the original design has vulcanization, it will be re-done), so that your accessories are like new ones from inside to outside. Moreover, the cleaning service provided by mittag is free for life (but does not include the need for polishing due to wear and tear).

Overall, the 10 kinds of silverware redox methods selected are easy to get, simple and convenient for you to choose from.

Comprehensive advices:

1. For who has limited time:

You can wipe directly with the mittag jewelry cloth attached to the product or use the baking soda to save you a lot of time. According to the actual test, the silver cloth is more suitable for light oxidized jewelry, and it takes about 1 minute to complete. For medium to heavy silver oxide, you can choose the baking soda powder brushing method, which takes only 2~3 minutes. Both methods are suitable for emergency treatment before going to work or dating.

2. For who likes DIY:
You can choose baking soda powder with foil boiling method, because not only the materials are readily available but also very good and fast. However, we suggest that if you want to deal with "a batch of" oxidized silver, it is recommended that you need to increase the amount of aluminum foil and baking soda.

3. For who pursue the perfection:

Please send back mittag, and let the professional staffs serve you. We will reapply according to the original design and polishing and finishing. After all, no methods can be better treated than us.

In addition to the cleaning advices, mittag also has some daily wear recommendations for your references:

1. Please keep the surface as dry as possible and take it off when having hot springs and swimming.

2. When dyed hair, remove the jewelry first. Wear it again several days later to avoid blackening of the silver due to traces of hair colorant.

3. It is best to wear your silver jewelry every day, because the body's own secretion of oil helps silver jewelry become brighter.

4. If you do not wear it for a long time, wash it with a neutral detergent and dry it with a soft cloth. Store it in a clip bag.

5. Stop thinking that the alloy plating jewelry is easier to maintain than the silver jewelry. More secrets about the alloy plating jewelry that you don't know (Extended reading: What! The truth is…! The battle between silver and electroplated alloy jewelry).