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How to clean silver jewelry?

littlecordelera

littlecordelera

Literotica Guru
Joined
Jun 14, 2013
Posts
1,483
My husband has one of the vibrating cleaners (I have some vibrating things, too, but they're not much help with cleaning jewelry), and it does a fantastic job of cleaning all of my jewelry, except it will not remove tarnish from silver. The soapy type of silver cleaners won't clean the inside of chains or inside crevices, and the harsh chemical types are not safe with some stones. Does anyone know of a tried-and-true method of cleaning silver jewelry?
 
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littlecordelera said:
My husband has one of the vibrating cleaners (I have some vibrating things, too, but they're not much help with cleaning jewelry), and it does a fantastic job of cleaning all of my jewelry, except it will not remove tarnish from silver. The soapy type of silver cleaners won't clean the inside of chains or inside crevices, and the harsh chemical types are not safe with some stones. Does anyone know of a tried-and-true method of cleaning silver jewelry?
Click to expand...

Toothpaste.*non-abrasive
 
Here's a suggestion... I reload my own ammunition, and reuse the brass from previous practice at the range, so I use a sonicating bath to clean the brass. It works for anything, whether it be gold, silver, etc. So if you're looking for something that will clean up stuff, that's my suggestion
 
Alice_Rosaleen said:
Toothpaste.*non-abrasive
Click to expand...

I can second this, with one caveat. It has to be actual toothpaste. I was helping a friend prepare for a dinner party and all they had was a toothbrush gel that did nothing for the silver. I've only seen it work with the pasty kind.
 
pplwatching said:
I can second this, with one caveat. It has to be actual toothpaste. I was helping a friend prepare for a dinner party and all they had was a toothbrush gel that did nothing for the silver. I've only seen it work with the pasty kind.
Click to expand...

But what is the difference between 'abrasive' and 'non-abrasive' toothpaste. Yes, I know one is abrasive and the other isn't, but how do you tell which is which?
 
KimGordon67 said:
But what is the difference between 'abrasive' and 'non-abrasive' toothpaste. Yes, I know one is abrasive and the other isn't, but how do you tell which is which?
Click to expand...

Get the old timey cheap stuff like Pepsodent.
 
It's possible to reverse the tarnishing process with some common household equipment, as described here: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/TARNISH.html

It should be safe for the stones as well, but may loosen the glue a bit, if you bathe the silver for too long. (ie. leave it in overnight). I've had good results with a similar method on simple silver chains, using a foil tray and maybe turning on a stove element briefly to reheat the baking soda and water brew. I don't think you need quite as much baking soda as is recommended here - as I remember, it's just to make the water 'salty' to get the electrons to move nicely. If one were to stand over the tray and inhale, one may catch a whiff of rotten egg gas, but this is how you know it's working! :D
 
GrrlFriday said:
It's possible to reverse the tarnishing process with some common household equipment, as described here: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/homeexpts/TARNISH.html

It should be safe for the stones as well, but may loosen the glue a bit, if you bathe the silver for too long. (ie. leave it in overnight). I've had good results with a similar method on simple silver chains, using a foil tray and maybe turning on a stove element briefly to reheat the baking soda and water brew. I don't think you need quite as much baking soda as is recommended here - as I remember, it's just to make the water 'salty' to get the electrons to move nicely. If one were to stand over the tray and inhale, one may catch a whiff of rotten egg gas, but this is how you know it's working! :D
Click to expand...

Thank you. I did some Google searches before I gave up and came here and posted my question, and I saw this technique explained on several sites. Just as you mentioned, others said that the boiling water will dislodge gems, and one site said it could cause precious stones to crack. I guess I could try it with silver only.
 
KimGordon67 said:
I don't think that's a thing here - is there some way of just working out if it's abrasive/non-abrasive?
Click to expand...
Look at the list of ingredients. If "pumice" is there, it's abrasive. There may be other abrasives in various brands, but pumice is fairly common.

Also, you can test for abrasives by smearing on glass or a cheap mirror and look for scratching.
 
littlecordelera said:
Thank you. I did some Google searches before I gave up and came here and posted my question, and I saw this technique explained on several sites. Just as you mentioned, others said that the boiling water will dislodge gems, and one site said it could cause precious stones to crack. I guess I could try it with silver only.
Click to expand...

Heat is only there to speed up the reaction - it doesn't need to be on a rolling boil the whole time. Even skin-tolerable 'warm bath for a baby or animal' temperatures will do the trick. I did use the stove element to reheat the water to 'slightly steaming, no bubbles' at a couple of points.

I think the caution regarding loosening gems is more to do with the glue possibly being water-soluble than anything else. Do you know what the stones are, at all? I'm just trying to think of what could crack - maybe opals would be fragile, as they're essentially cracked quartz with water inside them already.
 
GrrlFriday said:
Heat is only there to speed up the reaction - it doesn't need to be on a rolling boil the whole time. Even skin-tolerable 'warm bath for a baby or animal' temperatures will do the trick. I did use the stove element to reheat the water to 'slightly steaming, no bubbles' at a couple of points.

I think the caution regarding loosening gems is more to do with the glue possibly being water-soluble than anything else. Do you know what the stones are, at all? I'm just trying to think of what could crack - maybe opals would be fragile, as they're essentially cracked quartz with water inside them already.
Click to expand...

I have a little bit of everything: Tanzanite, Amethyst, Diamond, Sapphire, Onyx, Aquamarine, but then some I don't know. But if there is any possibility of the stone loosening, I don't want to take that chance.

I will try the toothpaste suggestion, but from what I've read, it seems this method relies on rubbing, and it's not possible to rub the inside of a tiny chain. And doesn't the jewelry end up with dried-on toothpaste residue? I'll try and see - assuming I can find non-abrasive toothpaste.

Thanks to everyone for your help - even you, Miles.

Oh, but Miles, from a literary arts perspective, I really think crickets work better than tumbleweeds.
 
littlecordelera said:
I have a little bit of everything: Tanzanite, Amethyst, Diamond, Sapphire, Onyx, Aquamarine, but then some I don't know. But if there is any possibility of the stone loosening, I don't want to take that chance.

I will try the toothpaste suggestion, but from what I've read, it seems this method relies on rubbing, and it's not possible to rub the inside of a tiny chain. And doesn't the jewelry end up with dried-on toothpaste residue? I'll try and see - assuming I can find non-abrasive toothpaste.

Thanks to everyone for your help - even you, Miles.

Oh, but Miles, from a literary arts perspective, I really think crickets work better than tumbleweeds.
Click to expand...

giphy.gif
 
GrrlFriday said:
Heat is only there to speed up the reaction - it doesn't need to be on a rolling boil the whole time. Even skin-tolerable 'warm bath for a baby or animal' temperatures will do the trick. I did use the stove element to reheat the water to 'slightly steaming, no bubbles' at a couple of points.

I think the caution regarding loosening gems is more to do with the glue possibly being water-soluble than anything else. Do you know what the stones are, at all? I'm just trying to think of what could crack - maybe opals would be fragile, as they're essentially cracked quartz with water inside them already.
Click to expand...

Heat very often softens glue, and metals will expand more than gemstones when heated (silver will expand about 0.15% going from room temperature to boiling water, diamond about 1/20th of that) - probably not an issue if the glue has a bit of flex in it, but if it's old and brittle, that might loosen the stone in its setting.

How much would it cost to get a professional to clean them? Some round here will do free cleanings and fit checks, at least for rings, and they should know what's safe and effective.
 
Bramblethorn said:
How much would it cost to get a professional to clean them? Some round here will do free cleanings and fit checks, at least for rings, and they should know what's safe and effective.
Click to expand...

This is probably my best option. I've already spent too much time fussing with this jewelry.
 
Weird Harold said:
Look at the list of ingredients. If "pumice" is there, it's abrasive. There may be other abrasives in various brands, but pumice is fairly common.

Also, you can test for abrasives by smearing on glass or a cheap mirror and look for scratching.
Click to expand...

Awesome - thanks.
 
cleaning silver

Try steradent,put it in a mug with a Steradent tablet, and leave overnight, should do the trick
 
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