Cleaning
- Clean your silver jewellery / accessories with a mild soap and water solution, and dry with a soft cloth. Pure soap works best. For more stubborn dirt, you can use a soft toothbrush.
- Dry silver items thoroughly after any rinsing. Water contains chlorine, which will discolour your silver.
- After cleaning and drying, a gentle rub with a proprietary silver polishing cloth will extend the time between cleanings.
- Silver becomes tarnished because it reacts with chemicals in the air, particularly sulphur. To remove tarnish, line a pot with aluminium cooking foil. Add baking soda and hot (not boiling) water to the pot. Put your silver jewellery in the solution being sure the silver is in contact with the aluminium. Leave the jewellery in the solution until the tarnish is gone. This process shouldn’t take very long.
- Store your silver in a cool, dry place if possible. If you wrap each item in a soft piece of felt or cloth, it will prevent scratches and help reduce tarnishing. There are tarnish-preventive bags that can be effective, especially if you live in a moist, corrosive atmosphere. Turnbull & Asser cufflinks are supplied in their own presentation boxes. These form ideal storage units.
- For larger silver objects buy products meant for cleaning silver. Do not use a general cleaner; you won’t know whether some of the contents will tarnish the silver.
- Again on larger objects tape over the hallmarks before cleaning. Worn hallmarks can detract from future value.
- Use only soft cloths (lint free) or fine sponges to clean items.
- Clean in a circular direction.