| FAQ's
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Here are some frequently asked questions. If you have more, please feel free to email me and I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
What is sterling silver?
Silver is a soft metal in its pure form, too soft to be used for jewelry and other items, so it's mixed with other metals to make it more durable. A popular silver mixture, called an alloy , is known as sterling silver.
The US Federal Trade Commission, the FTC, stipulates that jewelry sold in the US cannot be marked or described as silver, solid silver, sterling silver, sterling, or using the abbreviation Ster. unless it contains at least 92.5 percent pure silver.
The minimum silver content can also be stated as 925 parts per thousand of pure silver, so you might see the figures 925 or 92.5 used to mark silver content.
How do I care for my silver jewelry?
Clean sterling silver with a phosphate free detergent. A low abrasive cleaner, such as 3M Tarni-Shield Silver Polish, is a good choice for removing light tarnish. Some people use toothpaste to clean their sterling silver, but most silver experts caution against it because they feel toothpaste is too abrasive and leaves dulling scratches.
What is Vermeil?
A product that is made from a base of sterling silver that is coated or plated on its surfaces with gold of at least 10K finess and at least 2.5 microns thick (100/1,000,000 inch).
The term vermeil cannot be used if the sterling is covered with a base metal before being coated with gold unless the presence of the base metal is disclosed.
What is the difference between gold plated and gold filled?
The thin layer of gold in gold plated jewelry can wear off, exposing an inexpensive base metal that can stain your skin
Gold filled jewelry is made with a thicker outer layer of gold, so it doesn't wear off as quickly.
Household items to clean your sterling silver jewelry
*DO NOT put anything but sterling silver items (no plated materials) into the cleaning solution.
*DO NOT put any porous stones (turquoise, etc.), shells (mother of pearl, etc), or pearls (cultured, freshwater, etc) into the solution. You can damage stones if you aren't careful, so you may want to be extra cautious and use this on silver only jewelry.
*Use your common sense. When in doubt, don’t do it.
You will need the following:
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup liquid dish soap
1/2 gallon of water
Large pot
Aluminum foil
Plastic spoon
Stove top
Colander or strainer
Towel
Take a large pot, such as an old spaghetti pot, and line the inside with aluminum foil. Make sure you cover all the sides as well as the bottom completely with the foil.
Pour all of the ingredients into the pot and stir with your plastic spoon. Collect the sterling silver jewelry you want to clean and count each item so you know the total number you put into the pot. Place them into the solution.
Bring this to a low (not high) boil for a few minutes. Then turn off the burner and let it sit for another couple of minutes.
Then using the colander or strainer, pour out the solution. Rinse very well with cold water. It is important to get all the salt, especially, off the jewelry or it will literally eat your silver later on.
Count your items as you place them on a towel to dry. Make sure you’ve accounted for all your jewelry before you throw away the aluminum. It will be dirty because the oxides on your jewelry were transferred to it. Your sterling silver jewelry should now look like new.
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