Care of Boho Silver Jewellery: An Honest Appraisal
All silver will tarnish on exposure to air. By that, I mean it will lose its shine and begin to look a little grey and dull. This is a natural process known as oxidation, and how long that takes to happen depends to a great extent upon on the wearer, and the chemicals the jewellery is exposed to. For example, we have oil fired heating in the house, and jewellery left in the kitchen (where the stove lives) quickly tarnishes.
Much of the mass produced silver jewellery has been rhodium plated in order to give a whiter and brighter shine that will last for some time, but will eventually wear off. Our handmade jewellery does not use any plating, so expect tarnish.
Can I wear silver jewellery in a hot tub or jacuzzi?
While you can wear it, expect it to turn grey or black pretty fast, so we’d suggest not. The chemicals within the water will accelerate hugely the tarnishing process, and can often turn the piece black. Rings or jewellery with a closed-back setting should never be submerged (in any water) as the area behind the stone will tarnish and leave dark spots behind the stone or sea glass that cannot be remedied.
Can I wear silver jewellery in the swimming pool?
As per above, the chlorine within the pool water will impact your jewellery and accelerate tarnish. Again, don’t wear your closed-back settings!
Can I wear my silver jewellery to mud baths or natural springs while on holiday?
Only if you like your jewellery an intense shade of black. The sulphur in the mud baths/springs (smells like rotten eggs) is the same compound we use professionally to put a black patina on some pieces of silver.
I haven’t done anything I shouldn’t, so why has my silver jewellery gone dull, grey or black?
Sometimes this is down to the acidity of an individual’s skin. But everything from sweat, perfume, body lotion, sun screen, soaps and oils can accelerate tarnish. It’s not unknown for the dull greyness to be a build up of dead skin on pieces worn 24/7, so do check this. If it’s ‘never happened before’, consider what different products you might be using or if, most likely, your other silver jewellery is rhodium plated to avoid tarnish. This has nothing to do with the quality of the silver, or the craftsmanship of the maker. Note that some jewellery designs may purposely have a dark patina added to accentuate a design or texture.
Can I wear my jewellery 24/7?
We suggest common sense here. Technically, no jewellery piece is designed to be worn this way unless it’s a plain ring band or sleeper style earrings. Consider a delicate chain getting twisted and caught as you toss and turn at night, or the claw settings of your ring catching on bedding or nightwear. If the chain breaks, or you lose a stone, it’s not the makers fault! Consider the ongoing wear and tear this causes over time, night after night - eventually this will likely cause a piece to be damaged or broken as it becomes weakened. Jewellery should be removed overnight, and closed-back setting on any piece removed before sweating heavily, showering, bathing or hand washing. This is because water and sweat can leach behind the stone or sea glass, accelerating tarnish. When this happens, dark spots appear behind the sea glass or stone, and this is impossible to rectify without starting from scratch.
How should I store silver jewellery?
The very best way is to store in a dry place and exclude air. We favour recycling tiny little bags or glassine bags, with a tarnish strip (you can easily buy these online) placed in the bag to keep the jewellery as tarnish free as possible.
Can silver jewellery break?
If you bend silver to reshape it, then yes the metal can become brittle and break. An adjustable ring is designed to be adjusted to size, then left there, not adjusted repeatedly. Most silver jewellery pieces will have solder joints, and if you try to bend or reshape, then these can fail. The solder joint is the ‘weak link’ in any design, so if you catch a ring for example, then it is the solder joint that will most likely ‘give’. This isn’t a design fault on most occasions, but rather due to jewellery getting caught, struck, dropped, mistreated or manually manipulated. It’s important to be honest with the maker, as when they examine the piece, they will likely know! Whether this can be easily repaired depends on where it’s located. If it’s close to a stone setting, it might be necessary send the piece to a specialist who can offer laser soldering to avoid damaging the sea glass or stones.
Will sea glass or gemstones crack or break?
With normal daily wear, that shouldn’t happen. The glass has, after all been tumbled against rocks in the sea for perhaps one hundred years. That said, if you don’t place your gemstones or sea glass pieces down carefully, and store them safely, and they hit or drop against granite worktops, stone, tiled surfaces etc, then naturally they can be cracked or broken.
Should I use silver dip to clean silver jewellery?
We recommend a simple silver polishing cloth for most pieces. Note that some designs have a dark patina added to accentuate a design or texture, and you will remove the patina with polishing clothes or dips. For plain silver pieces, or those with a patina, a soft toothbrush, warm water and washing up liquid can do a great job. Care should be taken around closed-back settings, and water or dips never used as it may get behind the setting causing dark marks. We don’t recommend silver dips as the chemicals are extremely toxic to the environment and can cause micro pitting of the silver, meaning it will tarnish faster in the longer term.
We want you to love and wear your silver jewellery, but please understand it is designed to be worn as adornment and to accentuate your inner goddess. However it is not designed for wear during a roller derby, into battle or when you feel like punching something in a fit of pique.
@copyright 2022 Boho Silver