How To Clean Silver Jewellery At Home
It’s important to show your silver jewellery pieces some TLC to keep them beautiful and shining. Nothing beats the feeling of a sparkling piece of stunning jewellery. By following our guide, you’ll have your silver necklace, silver ring, silver earrings, or silver bracelet dazzling in no time.
Sterling silver is a high quality metal used in jewellery. As it’s almost pure silver, it doesn’t rust or perish. If looked after properly, sterling silver jewellery will last a long time. All Beaverbrooks silver jewellery pieces are delicately crafted in 925 sterling silver, for the best standard of silver jewellery.
By using 925 sterling silver for all our ladies jewellery, this means our jewellery is not only beautiful, but of high quality too. Discover our sterling silver jewellery collections, or other brands that have sterling silver jewellery, including Gucci pieces.
Silver jewellery that has a plating over the top should be cleaned with extra care as the coating can be damaged or worn off more easily. 925 sterling silver jewellery will hold its colour and lustre longer than silver tone plated jewellery.
This guide covers how to clean both sterling silver and silver plated jewellery. If your silver jewellery contains pearls and other gemstones, take extra care when cleaning them. Our jewellery care guide is full of helpful advice.
How to clean sterling silver jewellery
What you’ll need:
Lukewarm water
Baking soda
A soft bristled brush
A soft lint-free cloth
Baking soda is a mild alkali, which means that dirt and tarnish become soluble in water when mixed with baking soda. Combining baking soda and water into a paste will result in a gentle scouring powder to softly diminish rust and dark spots. As baking soda is a household ingredient often used in food, it’s non-toxic, and its cleaning properties mean it brings out the sparkle.
What to do:
1. Add lukewarm water to baking soda until a paste is formed.
The paste should be thick enough to rub directly onto your jewellery. Keeping your water at a lukewarm temperature ensures that your jewellery is being treated carefully.
2. Rub the paste onto any tarnished or darker parts of your jewellery, until you start to see the shine return. Carefully avoid any diamonds, pearls, or other gemstones.
The chemicals in the baking soda will remove the tarnish that comes from the oxidation of your silver
3. Use a soft-bristled brush to mix the baking soda paste into the hard-to-reach spots of your jewellery.
A soft-bristled brush, such as a toothbrush, will help clean every part of your jewellery. This step is especially helpful for silver chains, silver necklaces, and other silver pieces that have many links.
4. Rinse with clean water.
Use fresh lukewarm water to rinse your jewellery of any excess baking soda that may remain.
5. Dry your jewellery using a lint-free cloth.
Finalise the polish on your jewellery with a lint-free cloth, so your jewellery doesn’t pick up any dust or threads. Your jewellery will be glowing again by this point!
Other effective but gentle cleaning products include:
Toothpaste: This is a classic, easy DIY silver cleaning recipe. Use non-gel and non-abrasive toothpaste. Squeeze a small amount of it on a soft cloth or paper handkerchief. Rub onto the jewellery or silverware with circular motions to polish it and clean off the tarnish.
Dish soap: For routine care, a quick wash in soapy water can be a sufficient way to keep silver shiny. Mix a few drops of mild dishwashing soap in warm water and gently wash silver pieces. Rinse and buff dry with a soft cloth.
Our favourite silver jewellery cleaners
Our cleaning product range offers some of the best jewellery cleaning products for at home jewellery cleaning. They make it effortlessly easy to keep your silver chains, silver bangles, or silver pendants in tip-top condition.
"Remember to take extra care when cleaning your silver jewellery with gemstones. With gemstones like pearls, stay away from harsh cleansers and frequent cleaning, as the gemstone is soft and requires gentle treatment." - Lorna, Head of Diamonds and Jewellery.
You can find out more about gemstones, their hardness, and other qualities in our Birthstone Buying Guide.
The Connoisseurs Silver Jewellery Cleaner should be used if small scratches and dark marks have appeared on your silver jewellery. Simply apply to your silver jewellery to recover its original sparkle and radiance. With a remarkable formula, the jewellery cleaner provides impressive results whilst treating your favourite silver pieces delicately.
★★★★★
“I had a chain that had turned a dark colour due to wear and sweat etc. After a use of this product there was a huge difference!! Looks brand new again, works well on my rings too.” - Beaverbrooks Customer.
The Connoisseurs Ultrasoft Silver Jewellery Polishing Cloth provides a two-step method for when your silver looks a little dull. Perfect if you prefer a dry cleaning method. Use the lighter cloth to clean the silver and combat tarnish, and use the darker cloth to polish. Achieving a radiant finish with this product is fool proof.
How to clean silver plated jewellery
Silver jewellery can be plated to become a different colour using a coating of either non-precious metal or gold. This looks similar to yellow gold or rose gold and can be difficult to tell apart, but plated silver jewellery is typically less expensive as the metal underneath is sterling silver throughout.
Silver plated jewellery should be handled even more delicately, as the plating can wear away more easily. Gently wiping silver plated jewellery with a lint-free cloth is the best way to polish.
If you love sterling silver jewellery, get our Beaverbrooks Brand Ambassador, Debbie’s look with this beautiful clover jewellery set; this Silver Cubic Zirconia Onyx Clover Bracelet, Silver Cubic Zirconia Onyx Clover Necklace, and these Silver Cubic Zirconia Onyx Clover Earrings. Or, discover Debbie’s Edit for more inspiration.
How to store silver jewellery
"Your sterling silver jewellery will tarnish naturally, but the best way to prevent this is by keeping your pieces separate from other pieces and metals in a jewellery box, or even in the original box it came in. Make sure your silver is not exposed to humidity, too much moisture, or liquids, as this will help it stay free from tarnish.” – Courtney, Jewellery Buyer.
Silver tarnishes when the metal reacts with natural moisture, oxygen or sulphur in the air. The silver oxidises and can darken, usually resulting in a grey/black colour. This is why it’s important to keep silver away from liquids when possible, but it’s impossible to avoid your silver tarnishing completely. However, here are some tips on how to store your silver jewellery that can help prevent it from becoming dull:
Keep your jewellery away from liquids and creams such as perfume, sun cream and hand sanitiser.
Keep your jewellery away from water; remove when swimming or showering.
Store your jewellery in a soft cloth after removing it. Keep separately from other items of jewellery and humid air when possible.
Frequently wearing your silver pieces will reduce tarnish. The natural oils in our skin prevent silver from tarnishing, so get wearing your favourite pieces!
Helpful tip: Keep your jewellery in the Beaverbrooks or branded box to keep it safe.
Regularly cleaning your silver jewellery at home keeps the tarnish at bay, and means your jewellery is always ready to wear. We also recommend having your jewellery professionally cleaned once a year at one of our stores. Find your nearest store.
For more tips on how to care for your jewellery, visit the full jewellery care guide, or visit us in store where we’ll be happy to help. Discover our jewellery cleaning products for more ways to clean your jewellery.
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