DeLatori

CARE AND CLEANING OF SILVER:

Wear silver jewelry regularly to keep tarnish from building up. Once you do begin to see some darkening, use a special silver cleaning solution or a treated cleaning cloth to bring back the brightness. Never use toothpaste to clean silver. It is far too abrasive and can permanently damage your jewelry. Remove silver jewelry if you are working with household cleaners that include bleach or ammonia, or if you are swimming in chlorinated water. Invest in tarnish-proof bags or pouches for individual pieces of silver jewelry. They not only help prevent tarnish but protect your jewelry from nicks and scratches.

When cleaning silver, use a soft 100% cotton (nub free) cloth or flannel cloth and gently rub off any excess makeup, dirt, soapscum, body oils and dead skin. Silver is a very soft metal and it can be scratched if it is rubbed too briskly. Never use anything but a clean, soft material. Paper, polyester, and coarse fabrics may contain wood or other fibers and even synthetics that can cause tiny scratches in the surface of fine silver. Dirt left over from previous cleanings can also scratch the surface as well. A good tip is to gently rub the piece in straight lines, not in circles. This can help avoid scratches. Products with ammonia are not only hazardous to your health, but are bad for silver. It is well known in the industry that these products, such as silver dip, can and do often ruin the outer layers of your precious metals.