How to take care of your silver jewelry | Care advice from Mila Silver

Silver is a fantastic precious metal that is both timeless and durable.
Silver jewelery should be used in everyday life and can last for generations if cared for correctly.

Below is some general advice on how to best care for your silver jewellery. Shop polish for your silver jewelry HERE .

Wear your silver jewelry regularly

Wearing your silver jewelry regularly is our first and best care advice.
When you use your silver, it retains its whiteness and freshness.
When the silver is left lying around for a while, it oxidizes/darkens due to sulfur and humidity.

How to store your silver jewelry

Store your silver jewelry in boxes or airtight bags.
In this way, you delay the oxidation process and protect your jewelry from dust and dirt.
Also remember to store your jewelry in separate bags or boxes to avoid unnecessary scratches and marks.
Scratches that occur during use are inevitable. Over time, the scratches become more and more dense and the surface looks almost shiny again. The piece of jewelry acquires a patina and bears the history of your life.

Polish your silver jewelry

Polish your silver jewelry regularly.
Make a habit of having one polishing cloth for silver at home or a liquid plasters .
Liquid polish is suitable for silver jewelery with many details such as silver chains and matte cut jewellery.

Detergent & water

For everyday cleaning of your silver jewelry, you can clean with lukewarm water and detergent. Pour a few drops of washing-up liquid into a bowl of lukewarm water and put in your silver jewellery. Grease, dirt and skin deposits disappear.
If you need to clean details such as embedded stones (not pearls), you can use a toothbrush and carefully clean around the stone.

Repair and polishing

A piece of silver jewelry can always be repaired in the event of an accident.
We store jewelry purchased at Mila Silver.

Silver is a metal that is largely melted down and reused. You can do the same with silver jewelry that you are tired of.
Submit the jewelry for reworking at a gold/silversmith.
If you want to freshen up your jewelery from scratch to remove scratches and marks, you can take it to a silver/goldsmith for polishing. Your jewelry will be like new!

CARE ADVICE SILVER EARRINGS

Wear your silver earrings regularly
Earrings do not wear in the same way as other jewelry and rarely get scratched when you use them. Silver earrings retain their whiteness and freshness best when you use them regularly.

Separate your earrings when storing
If your silver earrings darken/oxidize, it is due to moisture and sulfur in the air. Therefore, remember to store your silver earrings in separate airtight bags or boxes when you are not using them.
In this way, you avoid unnecessary scratches when they are lying down.
Best polishing method for silver earrings
In order for your silver earrings to retain their white, fresh surface and shine, you must polish them regularly.
Earrings are often small and thin and have hooks or pins. Therefore, we recommend liquid silver polish for silver earrings in particular.
You dip the earring in the small basket that comes with it and then rinse with water. If your earrings have large smooth surfaces, it is fine to polish them with a polishing cloth. However, be careful with the pin and hook so it doesn't bend.

CARE ADVICE SILVER RINGS

Wear your silver rings in everyday life
Silver rings stay white and fresh when you use them regularly.
So use your silver rings in everyday life. You can shower, exercise and wash dishes with silver rings.
Silver, like gold, is a natural metal that gets marks and scratches over time. Over time, the scratches become more and more dense and the ring that you use every day often looks quite shiny.
Store your rings properly
When you're not using your rings, make sure to store them in separate jewelry bags or boxes so they don't get scratched unnecessarily. Store the rings in airtight bags to delay oxidation.
This is how you polish your silver rings
When a silver ring is left lying on the sink or in the chest of drawers, it oxidizes due to the humidity. But don't worry. A silver ring can always be polished and made white and fresh again!
You polish it easily with one cleaning cloth or with liquid silver polish . You dip the silver ring for a few seconds and then rinse with water.

CARE ADVICE SILVER NECKLACES

Liquid polish best for silver necklaces
Necklaces in particular have a tendency to become gray after a period of use. Therefore, it is especially important to polish your silver necklace regularly.
The reason why chains and necklaces turn gray faster is probably because you sweat more around your neck.
A silver necklace consisting of some form of chain is the easiest to polish liquid putty . You dip the chain into the small basket that comes with it and then rinse with water.
If you have a rigid choker necklace or a necklace with a larger necklace that has a smooth surface, you can polish with cleaning cloth .

Keep your necklace hanging and avoid tangles!
We have probably all experienced the necklace that gets tangled and is impossible to get right side out. To avoid this, it is best to store your necklaces hanging. The ultimate storage is an airtight small glass cabinet with hooks so you can hang the necklaces separately. Alternatively, some kind of jewelry hanger or large box where you can lay the necklaces. Preferably airtight, so you delay the oxidation.
You can also wrap the necklaces in kitchen paper or tissue paper.
You lay the necklace stretched out on the paper and roll from one end so the chain doesn't rub the pendant and the chain doesn't get tangled.

CARE ADVICE SILVER BRACELETS

Care instructions for silver bracelets vary depending on the type of bracelet you have.

Polish rigid silver bracelets
A rigid silver bracelet with smooth surfaces is most easily polished with one cleaning cloth . Our cleaning cloths can be used over and over again. Store the plaster cloth in a plastic bag so it doesn't dry out.
Polish bracelet with chain
The easiest way to polish a chain bracelet is to dip it in liquid silver polish .
Even bracelets that have many details and decorations are suitable to polish with liquid silver polish.
You dip the silver bracelet for a few seconds and then rinse it off in water - your silver bracelet will be sparkling clean!
Regular use delays oxidation
A silver bracelet retains its whiteness and freshness best when you use it.
When your silver bracelets are left lying around, the surface eventually darkens - the silver oxidizes. Avoid storing your bracelets in the bathroom, the humidity causes the silver to darken faster.
Scratches and marks
Scratches are inevitable on a bracelet and become extra obvious on a wide rigid silver bracelet . Think of it as your bracelet getting a patina, becoming part of you and your life story.
If you want to remove all scratches once and for all, you submit it to a gold/silversmith for polishing. The surface is ground down and then polished up.
Store your silver bracelets in boxes
The best storage for bracelets (especially rigid bracelets) is boxes.
A bracelet can lose its shape if it does not have a protective case.
Stacked stylish boxes can also become a stylish interior detail;)
Bracelets with a chain can be stored in bags, preferably as airtight as possible. Remember to store your silver bracelets separately so they don't scratch each other.

CARE ADVICE DIAMOND JEWELRY

Store your diamond jewelry in boxes or airtight bags. Then you avoid the jewelry becoming scratched and you prevent the silver jewelery from oxidising.
The diamond is the world's hardest stone, but it is not indestructible.
Remember to take off your diamond ring when doing tougher everyday chores such as washing up, cleaning and gardening. Dirt can get stuck in the setting of the diamond.
Clean your diamond jewelry with lukewarm water and a little dish soap. Gently scrub a soft toothbrush to clean around the diamond. Dry with a lint-free towel.

FACT STERLING SILVER

Silver, which is called Argentum in Latin, is a metallic element that belongs to the group of precious metals and the group of coin metals.
Silver is used for jewelry , tableware and ornaments but more than 60% of the available silver is consumed in the electronics and photography industries.

The most common silver quality in jewelry is called 925 sterling silver and consists of 92.5% silver. The rest is copper and other metals.
Sterling silver is declared in silver jewelry with the stamp 925.

Silver in its purest form is very soft. Therefore, the silver is mixed with other metals to obtain durable jewelry and products. The limit to be called silver is at the silver content of 83%, the remaining 17% is usually copper. 830 silver is called workshop silver and is the most common fineness in edible silver. 925 Sterling silver is whiter and softer to process than sterling silver and is best suited for jewelry making.

Gold plated silver

Some of our jewelery is gold plated / gilded. This means that the jewelery is coated with a thin layer of real gold. The underlying metal is usually silver unless otherwise specified.

Oxidized silver

Silver is oxidized with chemicals and is a surface treatment that is polished away or fades with use. If you want to keep the dark surface, you should therefore take off the jewelery in contact with water.

Jewelry - historical fact

Throughout history, jewelery has been used to adorn the body, but has also for millennia been a symbol of other values such as wealth, religion, status or cultural belonging.

The very first jewelry models were made from hair and bones.
In the late 1880s, for example, a narrow black silk ribbon around the neck was considered an expression of independence. The wearer of jewelery is historically as much a male as a female phenomenon. Our most common types of jewelry are necklaces , bracelets , rings and earrings . Recently, jewelry such as charms , ear-cuffs and piercings have become popular. Today, watches are also widely regarded as jewellery.

/ Mila Silver