Silver blackened

Jewelery from silver looks very beautiful, noble and elegant, they perfectly harmonize with both the evening dress and everyday jeans. But not when the silver has turned black. Why does this change happen to him and how to deal with it? Is it possible to return the original exquisite appearance to the ornaments? You will find answers to these questions in this article.

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Reasons for silvering

Fans of this precious metal know that after a while it is covered with an ugly dark coating. Many people believe that metal takes away all negative energy of its carrier, associated with emotional breakdowns or health problems. Therefore, the appearance of the decoration does not change for the better. This theory remains unproven, and we will not refute it.

However, from the point of view of science the opinion about this is more justified. So, what are the reasons for the fact that the silver turns black?

Important! One of the constituent components of silver is copper, which, as is known, has the property of oxidizing under the influence of hydrogen sulphide. As a result of such a reaction, a sulfide deposit forms, which makes the jewelry dark.

Various factors contribute to this.

Moist air

Air with a high level of humidity contains hydrogen sulphide in a considerable amount. Therefore, the owner of the decoration, which does not remove the silverware before bathing, notices that the silver has blackened much faster than that of someone who avoids such situations.

Increased sweating

It is known that sulfur is included in the sweat composition. Therefore, with its excessive allocation of sweat is dangerous for silver jewelry. Particularly affected are those products that are on the neck or chest, since a large number of sebaceous glands are located exactly in these zones.

Medications

Often, people have noticed that after using a medicine, silver products are very quickly covered with a dark coating. The whole reason is the presence of sulfur compounds in many medical preparations. They eventually start to separate from the body together with sweat, which causes damage to the precious metal.

Changing the hormonal background

This factor is also largely affected by silver. After taking hormonal drugs, during adolescence or during pregnancy, the body can release substances with sulfur compounds, resulting in a noble metal.

Cosmetics

Sulfur is often a component of cosmetic creams or lotions. Therefore, often the reason that the silver has darkened, are just cosmetic preparations.

Important! Silver with a higher breakdown is less prone to covering with an ugly dark coating.

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If the silver has turned black, what should I do?

Faced with such a problem, we immediately begin to look for a way out, and strive to return the original form to your favorite ornaments. This can be done in two effective ways. Which one to choose - decide for yourself.

Method 1 - referring to the master of jewelry cases

This is the simplest option, but at the same time, not the cheapest. Turning to the master, you do not damage the purity of your product without risks. Perhaps this will even be done with you.

This method is excellent if you should remove the plaque from ornaments of silver with a spray or those that are decorated with precious stones of natural origin( for example, amber, coral or pearls).

Important! Many semiprecious and precious stones react sharply to treatment by means of aggressive action. They lose their luster and become covered with visible scratches. Products with such a decor should not be risked, trying to clean them yourself. Entrust this matter to professionals.

Method 2 - self-processing

Methods how to clean darkened silver abound. To implement them, by and large, it will take only your desire and some free time.

You can buy special wipes or tools that are designed specifically for cleaning silver, and you can use popular recipes and try to return silver to its original appearance with the help of improvised tools.

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Silver turned black. Traditional means of combating the problem

Almost all national recipes presuppose the use of drugs, which, in one way or another, are used in everyday life. Therefore, to clean the metal, if the silver has darkened, you do not need to run to the store, but you should turn to your medicine cabinet or look into the kitchen cabinets.

Important! Always clean with a soak of silver for a while in soapy warm water. After that, after rinsing under a stream of clean water and drying the product, you can proceed to remove the dark plaque.

Ammonium alcohol

This liquid neutralizes acids, so it can help remove black spots on silver jewelry.

Procedure:

1. Mix one part of ammonia with ten parts of water.
2. In the prepared solution, immerse the silver product and leave it to soak for 10-15 minutes.
3. Dry the decoration with a piece of woolen cloth.

Salt, soda and dishwashing detergent

The composition of these products will help remove strong contaminants from the noble metal.

Important! Prepare the composition and produce silver treatment better in an aluminum vessel.

Procedure:

1. In one liter of water, stir until one solution of one tablespoon of soda, salt and detergent is dissolved.
2. All the jewelry that needs to be cleaned from silver is placed in a solution and boiled over a small fire for about 30 minutes.

Vinegar

9% vinegar, which is without a doubt in the kitchen cabinet of any mistress, more than once comes to her aid even outside the kitchen. In cases where silver is black, this liquid can also come in handy.

Procedure:

1. Preheat vinegar to a warm state and immerse in the liquid all silver products that have a dark coating.
2. Wait 15-20 minutes.
3. Use a woolen cloth to dry ornaments.

Salt

Conventional kitchen salt is also used for cleaning silver from ugly black formation.

Procedure:

1. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of salt in 200 ml of water in a metal container.
2. For a couple of hours, put the silver in the solution.

Important! To clean up more quickly, the bowl can be put on fire and boiled for 20 minutes.

Potatoes

If silver turns black, what do old people know. They share their experience and advise using raw potatoes for these purposes.

Procedure:

1. Boil the potatoes and drain the water from it into a separate vessel.

Important! It is better to use in this case a glass container, avoiding metal dishes.

1. Place the piece of foil on the bottom of the vessel with decoction.
2. After the liquid has cooled, place the earrings, rings and chains that have turned black on the foil for 10 minutes.

Shop soda

With clearing black areas on silver, such famous drinks as Coca-Cola or Sprite can easily cope.

Procedure:

1. Place the jewelry for several hours in a glass with a drink.
2. After the treatment, dry the products with a clean cloth.

Important! Strong dirt can be removed by boiling the drink with ornaments and rubbing them with foil.

Citric acid

A solution of citric acid will help restore your silver jewelry to its former beauty and brilliance.

Procedure:

1. Place silver for 1 hour in a concentrated solution of citric acid.
2. Dry objects from the precious metal with a cloth.

Tooth powder

With the help of tooth powder or paste remove the black coating has long been:

1. Using a soft brush or rag, silver the silver tooth powder.
2. Rinse goods under running water.

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Useful tips for socking, cleaning and storing silver jewelry

If the silver has turned black, what do you already know. As you can see, processing does not require any special knowledge and preliminary training. But in order not to face such a problem at all or as rarely as possible, you can take advantage of useful tips on silver care and prevent the appearance of a black plaque:

• It is not recommended to swim in ponds and in the shower in silver ornaments. Take them off before each contact with water.
• Attend the gym and other activities that require physical exertion, without silverware.
• After getting water on the decoration, moisture should be immediately removed.
• During the cleaning in the house, remove the jewelry.
• Matt silver should only be cleaned with soapy water. Acids, salt and soda can cause irreparable harm to the product.
• Gold-plated silver should only be cleaned with professional special tools.
• After cleaning the jewelry, it is necessary to dry it and rub it to a shine with a cloth.
• It is recommended to wear products made of precious metals a few days after cleaning. It is believed that silver during this time forms a natural protective layer.
• Store silver best in a special box in a dry place away from medicines.

Applying in practice the useful recommendations from this article, you can easily get rid of noble metal from black plaque, and prevent its further education.