Shaped by the sea, Handcrafted with love.

Jewellery Care

How to clean your Jewellery

Tips for cleaning sterling silver and sea glass

All of my jewellery is made using high quality (925) sterling silver and fine silver which is less inclined to tarnishing than lower grades of silver.

Over time however all silver is at risk of tarnishing which is the process of discolouration through oxidisation of the surface. The good news is that with regular and easy care you can keep your jewellery sparkling like new.

I hope you will find this useful for helping to keep your sea glass and sterling silver jewellery looking like new. If you have any further questions about caring for your jewellery please feel free to get in touch.

Guernsey red sea glass and sterling silver ring

Prevent Tarnishing

Contrary to what you may think, one of the easiest ways to avoid tarnishing is by regularly wearing your jewellery. This is because your body’s natural oils help to prevent oxidisation.

That said, care does need to be taken to avoid contact with natural and chemical contaminants which can cause tarnishing such as; rubber, vinegar, fruit juice and olives. To help prevent discolouration caused by contaminants, remove your jewellery before:

washing up
swimming in chlorine or salt water
bath or shower
handling chemicals such as cleaning products
prolonged handling of metals which may scratch your silver

Polishing Sterling Silver

Again this may sound counterintuitive but more is good. Polishing little and often will help to keep your sterling silver looking fresh. This is best done using a silver polishing cloth which can be purchased from most jewellery stores. Rub the jewellery gently back and forth between the cloth in straight lines to brighten it up. Avoid using other materials such as tissues as they can be more abrasive and cause greater tarnishing in the future.

If the polishing cloth does not remove all the tarnish use a cotton swab with mild dishwashing liquid to wash the silver. Be sure to dry thoroughly before storing as moisture contributes to the tarnishing process.

Note: in cases of more severe tarnishing there are ways to restore the silver but additional care needs to be taken and equipment used so for the purposes of this article I won’t go into this

Oiling Sea Glass

Some people prefer the natural frosty appearance of the sea glass but should you want your sea glass colour to really ‘pop’ a tiny amount of baby oil can be placed on the tip of your finger and then gently dabbed onto your sea glass, then dab the area with a cotton pad (or similar) to remove excess residue and your sea glass will appear glossier with a sharper colour.

Storing your Jewellery

Careful storage is also important. Sterling silver jewellery should be stored individually so that it can’t be contaminated or scratched by other items and also in a cool, dark place away from sunlight and moisture both of which can accelerate tarnishing.