tips | caring for silver jewellery
Ingrid Valou uses traditional and innovative sterling silver alloys for her silver pieces, selecting the best alloy to ensure a long-lasting piece that can be polished and refinished for a lifetime.
caring for sterling and argentium silver
When fully polished, sterling silver has a whitish gleam. Some pieces are selectively oxidized to throw details into relief, and this gives them additional character and depth. Avoid dipping pre-oxidized or treated pieces with anti-tarnish substances. Be warned that using dipping solutions actually strips the surface a little and damages the finish. As a result, pieces that have been dipped will tarnish faster.
Traditional sterling silver (.925) is predisposed to oxidization, since it is alloyed with copper for strength and durability. Don’t be intimidated; it is easy to care for:
Wear your jewellery often. This may seem counterintuitive, but frequent wear usually helps slow or halt tarnishing
Avoid exposure to any sulphurous materials – eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, onions, wool and latex, for example – as sulphur is an oxidizing agent and will darken the jewellery
basic cleaning and upkeep:
To keep the jewellery looking bright and new, run some lukewarm water into a small bowl and prepare a sudsy solution with some gentle soap
Use a soft brush, such as the wire-free parts of a disposable mascara wand, to clean in small corners
If you have a particularly prominent gemstone facet or metal surface, dry it gently with a cotton bud
Use the cotton bud to swab into hard-to-get areas to clean those, then gently use a lint-free cloth to dry the piece
To avoid it picking up dust, be sure to store when completely dry
Please note that while Argentium silver (alloyed with germanium rather than copper) is 7x more tarnish resistant than sterling, it will still oxidise over time
about sterling silver
For a silver piece to be considered sterling silver, the alloy it’s made of must have at least 92.5% silver content — traditionally, the remaining balance is copper, for strength and workability. In the last twenty years, metallurgy has given us fantastic new sterling silver alloys that replace some of the copper content with germanium, palladium or even platinum for improved durability, tarnish resistance, or lustre. In a nod to the ratio, the vast majority of the silver (more than 92.5% by weight) of the silver Ingrid uses is traceable as being recycled.
Ingrid guarantees there is no nickel in any sterling silver piece she produces.
did you know? a note on silver-filled jewellery
The rising price of silver has led to silver-filled jewellery and materials now being available on the market. Sterling silver-filled materials can be found in 1/10 and 1/20 purity.
I find the negligible price difference is not worth the trade-off of a piece that can last a lifetime while allowing everyday wear and the use of stronger cleaning agents. Furthermore, most silver-filled materials will contain nickel — a known allergen and health hazard. Investigate carefully before purchasing silver-filled jewellery.
Please also note that although jewellery you buy may be stamped or sold as sterling silver, this may not be true.