How to Keep Your Silver Bright

Silver darkens over time. It is not damage and it is not a fault. It is a surface reaction with the air, and it comes off. Here is how to keep your pieces bright with very little effort.

The habit that does the most

Wipe your piece with a soft dry cloth before you put it away. Thirty seconds after wearing removes the skin oils and sweat that speed up tarnish. This one habit does more than any cleaning product.

Store it away from air

• Keep each piece in a small closed pouch or a zip bag, with the air pressed out.
• Store pieces separately so chains do not scratch each other or tangle.
• Keep them somewhere dry. A bathroom shelf is the worst place in the house.

Take it off for these

• Perfume, lotion and hairspray. Put jewellery on last, after everything else has dried.
• Swimming pools. Chlorine attacks silver quickly.
• The sea, the shower and the gym. Salt, soap and sweat all dull the surface.
• Cleaning products. Bleach is the fastest way to ruin a silver piece.
• Sleep. Thin chains bend and break overnight more often than people expect.

Cleaning at home

Warm water, a drop of mild washing-up liquid and a soft toothbrush. Brush gently, rinse, then dry completely with a soft cloth before storing. Dry is the important part.

Please do not use toothpaste, baking soda, or any powder. They are abrasive, and on a polished or plated surface they leave fine scratches that cannot be polished out.

Extra care for plated and stone pieces

If your piece has a gold-plated finish, be gentler still. Rubbing hard wears the plating thin. Wipe rather than scrub.

Natural amber needs the same light touch. Wipe it with a dry cloth only, and keep it away from perfume and heat.

When to bring it to us

If a piece has gone dull and a home clean has not brought it back, let us do it. Cleaning and polishing is free for life on every piece we make.