Proper care for gold and silver

Proper maintenance of gold and silver jewelry Absolutely any jewelry piece, both made of gold and silver, needs proper care. If this is ignored, the jewelry will lose its luster and begin to turn into a useless piece of precious metal. Such jewelry is no longer very desirable to wear. There are many nuances in the proper care of jewelry, and we will tell you about them in detail. Why does gold get darker? Gold can get darker in rare cases. Gold jewelry can be of a low standard (333 and 375), but such jewelry is difficult to find in our time. But the jewelry of 585, 750 and higher samples do not have the property of darkening except in such cases, when they are affected by a special agent or acid. Such substances as mercury and iodine have a detrimental effect on gold alloys. They aggressively destroy the top layer of gold. If you are used to applying masks and creams without removing your jewelry, you risk seeing gray spots on their surface, as mercury may be present in some medicines and cosmetics. If you visit fitness clubs and spas without taking off your jewelry, you are also at risk, because sometimes iodine is added to the water in swimming pools, it can destroy the surface of gold jewelry. If you seldom take your jewelry off, darkening can be a simple cause. The jewelry accumulates a layer of secretions (sweat) and dust, resulting in a crust that looks like a blackout. Why is rhodium coming down? Rhodium is used to cover white gold and silver jewelry in order to give it more shine and brightness, as white gold itself has a yellowish tint. Another advantage of rhodium is its protection. Due to its properties, the rhodium coating will protect your jewelry from minor dents and scratches. Of course, over time, the rhodium layer will come off and your jewelry will look less attractive, but in any jewelry workshop, you will get it reapplied. Why does gold leave dark traces on my skin? Many people associate the darkening of a jewelry piece with the darkening of the skin underneath it. But this is not true. The darkening of the skin under a gold jewelry piece occurs because of the upper polishing layer that is applied to the jewelry at the final stage of its manufacture. This is done in order to give the jewelry a shiny and commercial appearance. If a jewelry piece is not washed well after polishing, this paste may leave a dark mark on the skin for a long time. In this case, there is no need to worry, the paste will be completely washed off the jewelry in a couple of weeks, and the dark traces on the skin will be gone along with it. How do I care for my gold jewelry? Gold, at home, can be cleaned using soapy water, washing the jewelry well with warm running water. To get rid of household plaque, you can use a few drops of ammonia on a suede or flannel napkin. After cleaning the gold jewelry, wipe it dry, otherwise the gold may fade again. You should know that many gemstones are afraid of acidic and alkaline solutions, as well as bad reaction to humidity and temperature. The diamond should be washed in a soapy solution of room temperature, and then it should be wiped dry with a napkin. Emerald jewelry should be wiped and rinsed very carefully, because after cutting, the porous emerald is treated with a special oil solution that fills the micro cracks. It is important not to damage this protective layer. Ruby, topaz, sapphire, amethyst and garnet react quite normally to water (but not hot!), as well as soap solutions. It is necessary to clean jewelry with turquoise only by dry method (napkins), as turquoise does not like to come into contact with water. Opals, on the contrary, should be washed regularly with water. This mineral contains a lot of moisture and without regular "moistening" it dehydrates. If you wear jewelry with violets regularly and take a shower in them, you probably won't even have to clean them specially, because violets love water very much. How to store gold jewelry? Due to the fact that the ideal jewelry box has many compartments, you should arrange all your jewelry by compartments. This will be convenient for you and also very useful for your jewelry because it will rub against each other less. You should never put your jewelry box near batteries or other heat sources. Many stones that are used in jewelry do not like temperature drops and may crack from the dry air. GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS: Take off your jewelry before going to the pool, sauna, massage and spa. Remove your jewelry before your workout: this way you will not bend it or get it dirty. Take your jewelry off before cleaning or at least wear rubber gloves. Take your jewelry off before cooking. Never wash silverware in the dishwasher, only by hand. Dishwasher powders and tablets may contain components that react with silver and turn the family dinner set into an ugly pile of aluminum. Why is silver getting darker? Unlike gold, there are many reasons why silver gets dark, so if your silver jewelry suddenly gets dark and loses its former brightness, don't hurry to blame the manufacturer. The composition of any jewelry includes ligature, that is, houses, which regulate the height of the sample. One of the components is copper, it can oxidize and provoke darkening of the jewelry. In many cases, silver simply gets darker from regular contact with the skin. In this case, it is the reaction of your body, not the metal itself. Under the influence of human sweat, in the form of which our skin emits various substances to the surface can change the shade of silver. There's nothing you can do about it, because the composition of human sweat depends on the individual characteristics. For example, in people with a high content of nitrogen in the body, silver will darken very rarely, but an excess of sulfur will cause darkening very quickly. Not many people know, but from sea water silver can also darken, because it contains a lot of hydrogen sulfide and other natural minerals. Can blackened silver mean health problems? There is a share of truth in this: the amount of sweat and its composition depends on a person's health condition. But you don't have to hurry to make any diagnosis! Silver jewelry can become dark even in a perfectly healthy person. How do I store my silver jewelry? Silver jewelry should be stored in plastic or velvet cases, not in a wooden casket. Inside the box, you can store a tablet of activated carbon, it will take all the extra water and will protect the silver from oxidation. You should never leave silver jewelry in the bathroom, because there is high humidity and frequent temperature drops. How do I clean my silver at home? As a rule, special wipes are used to clean silver jewelry, which prevent darkening of the metal and remove deposits well. If you do not have such wipes, there are other methods to clean your silver. Toothpaste: Apply toothpaste throughout your jewelry, allow it to dry for a couple of minutes and wipe thoroughly with a soft wool or flannel cloth. After that, rinse the jewelry well and dry it. Dining soda: dilute 1 tbsp. of soda in a glass of water and soak the silver jewelry for 15 minutes. Ammonia: 5 ml of ammonia should be diluted in a glass of water and soak the silver jewelry for no longer than 10 minutes. If desired, you can add some liquid soap. Potato starch: dilute 2 tablespoons of starch in 0.5 liters of cold water and soak the silver jewelry for 3 hours. If there is no starch, you can clean some raw potatoes, rub them, add some water and put your jewelry there. Boiling water: make a 50g soda solution for 500 ml of boiling water; set the bottom of the aluminum pan in foil and put the jewelry there; pour the solution into the pan and wait for 10-15 minutes. Dear friends, such purification methods do exist and are practiced by many, but we still recommend not to experiment and to contact professionals. In order to avoid unexpected unpleasant consequences!

Proper care for gold and silver