New Way to Clean Sterling Silver and Silver Plated Jewelry

I have wrote, in the past, techniques for cleaning sterling silver jewelry. I found a new one I wanted to share. I haven't tried this myself, so I can't tell you how well it works from experience.

The first thing to do is mix together equal parts baking soda and water to form a thick paste. Dab this paste liberally onto your silver-plated jewelry and let sit for an hour.

The next step is to scrub the jewelry gently, using an old toothbrush and the paste. Rinse the paste off completely, and let dry.

Place a sheet of aluminum foil in a shallow plastic or glass bowl. Sprinkle 2 tbsp. of baking soda and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt onto the foil.

Put your silver-plated jewelry on top of the foil. Pour hot water into the bowl, on top of the jewelry.

Cover the bowl and wait 5 minutes. Remove the cover and take out your jewelry. The foil, baking soda and salt (which must be dissolved by the hot water) creates a reaction that removes the tarnish from the silver.


From: eHow Articles

Take the Challenge

I've decided to challenge myself and list a new item in my jewelry shop everyday. That maybe a bit difficult at times depending on how busy I am but I'm going to do it. What inspired me was reading about another Etsy artist that set up that goal for herself. And she was able to complete it! So here I go.

The first day of my challenge, I listed this necklace, "Eternity with Pearls."

And yesterday, I listed this necklace, "Silver and Pearls."


I seem to be having a thing with freshwater pearls right now. I just love silver and white pearls together. They have such a clean look.

So for today, I'm not sure what I will post. But there will be another new piece so stop by and have a look. For that matter, stop by now and again this month and you may find something you like for yourself.

Handcrafted Jewelery-Cleaning Sterling Silver

Line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil; place your sterling silver wire coil or jewelry pieces on the foil and cover it with a thin sprinkling of baking soda; add boiling hot water to cover the wire or jewelry; use a wooden chopstick or other non-metal utensil to gently stir the items around a bit so they all have contact with the aluminum foil at one time or another; when satisfied, remove the items and rinse thoroughly under tepid running water; pat items dry. For more stubborn tarnish you can also assist the cleaning process by using a soft toothbrush during the rinse process.

Please be aware of not using this method to clean pieces that contain pearls, soft stones that have not been polished professionally like turquoise, and Never add ivory, opals, or any precious stone that may have enhancements or treatments such as wax or oils that are often used on sapphires, rubies and emeralds!

Better yet just use an ionic cleaner such as the Speed Brite, which can be used safely on everything except ivory.

(by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong/Wire-Sculpture.com)

Silver or Sterling Silver?

While at my fair last weekend, my husband asked me what the difference between silver and sterling silver is. I told him I would look it up and let him know. I also thought I would share that information here.

Pure silver is 99.9% silver and sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver, usually with copper mixed in. The copper gives silver more strength, which is useful in creating larger objects. Pure silver works well for jewelry.

Sterling silver is often coated with 99.9% pure silver to give to give it a nice shine.