Shopping CartWhat is sterling silver?
Sterling silver is often thought of as pure silver, when in fact it is a silver alloy. Pure silver, or fine silver, is defined as 99.9% pure silver, but is too soft for most uses. Sterling silver contains 92.5% silver, (hence the 925 stamp found on many pieces of jewellery), with the remaining 7.5% being another metal, the most common being copper. The addition of the less costly metal - often called a base metal - serves to harden the resulting alloy so that the metal can be manufactured into shapes that will retain with use.
Sterling silver tarnishes simply by being in contact with the air. Pure silver is, like gold, impervious to tarnish, or oxidation on the surface. It is the alloy metal which attracts the tarnish. Your sterling silver can be kept polished simply by buffing with a cotton cloth regularly or wearing regularly. If you only occassionally wear your jewellery keep it in an airtight container to avoid oxidization. Sterling silver that has been stored away unused for a period of time may develop a significant layer of tarnish and need polishing. Before you employ the various pastes available and elbow grease, try the following butler's trick.
How to clean
Line the bottom of of a container lined with tin foil, and fill with hot water. Add some salt and baking soda. Proportions aren't crucial here, just throw in a couple teaspoons of each. Next, put the sterling silver into the water, with the pieces touching each other and the tin foil. The tarnish will be pulled off the silver to the foil - in cases of heavy tarnish, you will be able to see it flaking off. Leave in for no more than five minutes, rinse and dry.
