How to care for and clean silver jewelry- Star Talk Jewelry

I believe that many people have the same experience as me, the gold-plated silver earrings, bracelets, and rings which we wear often, the surfaces get dark or fade, and even become smelly after a period of time. Many people will wonder if the quality of the gold-plated silver jewelry they bought is defective. In fact, not only the gold-plated silver jewelry but also much other jewelry made by different metals will have the same problem of fading and becoming smelly after being worn for a long time. In fact, these are all normal problems related to the maintenance and cleaning of jewelry. So, let’s take a look at the specific reasons and maintenance methods:

How long does gold-plated silver jewelry last?

Many people wonder, how long does the gold-plated silver jewelry last? Why does the gold-plated layer fade after some time? In fact, as long as it is electroplated jewelry, it will fade and wear out over time. However, the time of the gold-plated layer last depending on the electroplating process and the user’s daily maintenance generally.

First of all, the most important factor is the thickness of the gold-plated coating. If the electroplating process is not good enough and the coating is too thin, the electroplated layer may wear out in a month or two months. Star Talk Jewelry adopts advanced Micro- gold plating technology for their jewelry, and the thickness of the plating layer is more than 20 times thicker than the ordinary ones. It can guarantee that the plated color will not fade in two or three years under the normal maintenance of the jewelry.

Secondly, the gold-plated layer condition of the jewelry is also related to good maintenance. In addition, please be careful to avoid scratches during daily wear. And please also pay attention to keep the gold-plated jewelry away from cosmetics, perfumes, etc. Otherwise, the gold-plated layer will easily corrode by these items.

Why does jewelry smell and fade?

– Related to human metabolism

The cells of the human body are constantly active and renewed. With the daily metabolism of the body, the wastes in the body will be excreted through sweating and excretion. Therefore, the surface of our skin is distributed with various sweat and wastes. At the same time, sweat contains grease and urea. When the sweat is mixed with moisture and dust in the air, it generates bacteria and produces a bad smell by the stimulation of body temperature. Slowly, these smelly substances will also accumulate on the jewelry which we have often worn, and the jewelry smells as well.

In addition, the cause of the smelly earrings is most likely due to inflammation and pus in your ear holes. The common reasons are improper ear cleaning after ear pierces, or allergies to ear studs, causing ear skin damage, which then makes the earrings stink over time.

– Jewelry contact with chemicals

The chemicals mentioned here refer to various lotions that we often use in our lives, such as shower gel, shampoo, detergent, etc. There are also various cosmetics, skincare products, perfumes, and hand creams that women use daily. The ingredients in these daily chemicals can easily react with the jewelry metal, which will cause the jewelry to discolor and corrode in the long run.

– Jewelry is not cleaned in time

Many people rarely take off the jewelry that is often worn and didn’t realize that the jewelry needs to be cleaned regularly. Combining the reasons of 1) and 2) above, it is easy to cause the growth of dirt and bacteria. For a long time, jewelry will fade and smell. In this case, the jewelry will become very dirty and difficult to clean, and it will have a bad effect on the body.

Tips for caring and cleaning jewelry

In general, jewelry is the same as the clothes you wear daily. You also need to pay attention to cleaning and maintenance when you wear it, to keep the jewelry shining.

– Avoid collision and scratch

When wearing jewelry, be careful and try to reduce pulling, scratch, and collision of external forces to prevent the jewelry structure from deforming, breaking, and stones falling off. In addition, it is best to avoid storing jewelry under high temperatures, exposure to the sun, or sudden cold and hot environments. Different types and hardness of jewelry should be packaged and stored separately to avoid scratching.

– Keep dry and avoid contact with chemicals

When bathing or sleeping, the jewelry should be removed and put in a jewelry bag. It is best not to wear jewelry while exercising, as collisions, impacts, and friction may cause jewelry damage. You should pay more attention to swimming or other water sports because many water sources contain ammonia and other chemicals that have a strong corrosive effect on jewelry, it’s important to keep jewelry away from these water sources. If the jewelry gets wet accidentally, wipe it dry with a soft cloth, and place the jewelry in a cool place until it is completely dry. In addition, all jewelry should avoid contact with chemicals such as perfumes, cosmetics, acidic substances, household cleaners, or insecticides, and avoid chemical reactions of metals that cause blackening and corrosion.

When jewelry is not in use, it is best to wrap them with natural fibers (cotton, silk), etc., choose a cool and dry place to store them separately.

– Pay attention while doing jewelry cleaning

There are two main jewelry clean methods: manual cleaning and ultrasonic cleaning.

1) Manual cleaning method:

Spread a soft cloth or soft towel on a smooth surface, take a small plastic bowl, fill it with water at body temperature, add a drop of jewelry cleaner, soak the jewelry in the cleaning liquid for a while, then use a small soft brush and small sharpened wooden to clean the jewelry gently.

Note:

a) The soft cloth / soft towel is to prevent the jewelry from falling off, and do not wash the jewelry in the sink with slots. b) Detergents containing ammonia, acid, alcohol, or other chemical components should not be abused. Use them as appropriate depending on the type of gem material to avoid discoloration of the gem. c) When the stain on the jewelry material needs to be scraped off, use the sharpened tip of a small wooden stick to gently scrape it off. Do not use metal materials such as sharp tacks. d) It is best to use water below 30 degrees Celsius. Hot water will soften the viscose, and the heat will cause internal structural damage to some gems. e) Equipped with a magnifying glass to check the cleaning effect of tiny corners. f) After cleaning, place jewelry in a cool place to make it dry completely. It should not be placed directly in the sun to avoid damage from sunlight or ultraviolet rays. g) Organic gem materials are not suitable for cleaning by water. These materials will absorb water and cause color changes or internal structure damages. h) Before pouring out the cleaning liquid, make sure that the gems on the jewelry have not fallen and left in the liquid.

2) Ultrasonic cleaning method:

Even professionals need to be extremely cautious when using this method, otherwise, the jewelry is easily damaged by ultrasound under improper operation.

The ultrasonic scrubber concentrates wave energy on the object surface (that is, the surface of the jewelry), and forms a tiny vacuum, and the vacuum implosion can remove the dirt from the object surface. However, the vibration of the ultrasonic wave and the increased temperature of the washing pool is not good for some kinds of gem materials, which may cause gemstone internal structure to expand and explode. Although most ultrasonic washing manufacturers are equipped with special washing liquids to shorten the operation time to improve the above-mentioned problem, some delicate and fragile gemstones still cannot be cleaned by this method.