6 Common Questions About Sterling Silver Jewelry
Silver jewelry has been a fashionable commodity for thousands of years. One of the obvious reasons is the affordability over other precious metals gold and platinum. The large assortment of silver jewelry requires certain knowledge in order to select the right piece and likewise keep it in good condition as long as f
easible. The followings are the most commonplace questions concerning silver jewelry.
Just how do I clean silver jewelry?
It depends. Usually, it is enough to utilize a jewelry cloth (with two layers of cloths in various colors) that you are able to get from a jewelry accessory outlet. Don’t use any hard object to clean silver jewelry; even paper towel could scratch the surface. You should rub any dirt off using a jewelry cloth, not fingernails. Silver-dip is the one other commonly used sterling silver jewelry cleaner, which can also be obtained from jewelry outlet. The whole silver jewelry is immerged in the solution for half a short time to a while and then rinsed with water. Ensure the silver jewelry is not plated with any other metal before utilizing the silver-dip or the plating will be damaged.
Where do I outlet silver jewelry?
It is extremely important to store silver jewelry properly when it’s not used. The ideal place to outlet silver jewelry is cool and clear of sunlight. Heat and light will turn a silver jewelry yellow and cause it to tarnish quickly. Even indoor light source like florescent lights or light bulbs turn the color of silver jewelry over the course of time. If you anticipate not to wear a particular piece for quite a while, place it in a air-tight bag and store it in a drawer.
What types of silver jewelry plating are there?
Unlike gold and platinum, still, pure silver is rather unstable and oxides rather quickly. Consequently, silver jewelry is typically plated with another metal to protect it from tarnishing. There are a couple off kinds of plating for silver jewelry: nickel and rhodium plating. Nickel plating has a more whitish look and rhodium plating has a darker look. Rhodium is utilized to plate white gold and platinum jewelry and is more costly than nickel, and it give better protection to the silver underneath. Alternatively, some silver jewelry is not plated. For instance, high polished sterling silver jewelry does not have any plating and the surface is polished by machine to render shininess. Also, “oxidized silver” jewelry is oxidized on purpose to give a dark antique look and is not plated with any other metals.
Just how do I know the purity of my silver jewelry?
The purity of sterling silver refers to 92.5% of silver in the alloy. As a way to support to the purity, the metal itself has to be ship to a laboratory to be tested. Even so, most of other silver jewelry produced nowadays has a “925″ stamp to signal the authenticity of the jewelry. Although there are cases when stamps are forged and the metal is either not silver or the purity isn’t as stated, they are uncommon.
How about engraving and resizing?
Engraving and resizing of sterling silver rings is rather simple as a result of the ductility and relatively low melting point. However, ensure your jeweler understands the operation of refinishing the ring and that they have the required equipment to do so. Not all jewelers have the equipment to recoat the rhodium plating after cutting and welding the ring. Also, rings set with stones are sometimes not resizable because resizing might cause the stones to begin. Such settings include channel and invisible settings.
Can I wear sterling silver jewelry if I am allergic to nickel?
Yes, simply make sure the jewelry is pure silver, not plated with nickel. Even Rhodium plated silver jewelry sometimes comprises a nickel layer between the silver and the rhodium to act as a sticky. Hence, buy only high polished sterling silver jewelry if you are allergic to nickel.
Rose Gold Ear Stud Wheels with Granules
I love wheels. They are one of the greatest, most important inventions ever. They Go back to prehistory to the neolithic period when they were made of clay by a potter. Today we take wheels for granted. We have them in machines, in all types of vehicles and - they help us decorate ourselves by appearing in our jewelry.
I was thinking of wheels when I designed and handcrafted my Rose Gold stud earrings. They are handcrafted from sterling silver and are gold plated, but can be custom made in 14k gold. They are combined of a small wheel soldered on top of a larger one. In my original design I added tiny balls soldered one next to the other around each one of the wheels. I call these tiny balls granules. In my earrings the granules are shiny while the background has a matt finish. Diameter of each stud is 0.9″ (about 22mm). They Can be custom ordered in yellow gold or sterling silver.
Thank you for watching.
For more handmade jewelry designs:
http://etsy.com/shop/riorita
Recent Comments