Lajerrio Blog

What is sterling 925 silver?

Silver is a precious metal and, much like gold, is too fine to be utilized in its pure form. Sterling silver is an alloy of silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Why so? To make silver durable enough for use in jewelry, pure silver, which has a .999 fineness (99.9%), is often alloyed with small quantities of copper (7.5%). The copper is added to strengthen the silver and the resulting product is .925 sterling silver (92.5%). Acceptable quality marks for sterling silver include: sterling, sterling silver, ster, and .925.

Why does silver tarnish?

Sterling silver reacts with many house hold chemicals causing the shine to be covered up by tarnish.  Avoid chlorine, direct sunlight, rubber, any substances containing sulfur  (eggs, mayo), wool, felt, body lotions, hair sprays, soaps, perfume, and perspiration. Humidity (moisture in the air) is also a huge factor in tarnished sterling silver.

How do you care for silver jewelry?

Care should be taken to avoid exposing your silver to household chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or when swimming in chlorinated water, as these chemicals can damage silver.

An easy way to do this is to make sure that your sterling silver jewelry is always the last item on when getting ready, and the first item off when you get home, or are going to get ready for bed.

How to clean silver jewelry?

A popular method is to use a liquid silver cleaner (which smells like rotten eggs) that you can purchase at a jewelry store or a Walmart or Target. Put the piece of silver in the little tray, swish it around, and the original beautiful silver shine is restored.

A silver polishing cloth formulated specifically to remove tarnish is effective in cleaning silver jewelry.

Another great method for cleaning sterling silver jewelry, especially when you don’t have silver cleaner or a polishing cloth at home, is toothpaste! Put some toothpaste on an old toothbrush and gently rub the toothpaste into the silver. Let it sit for a few minutes and wash it off. If you’re trying to shine a chain, put toothpaste on the chain and pull it through a wash cloth or paper towel. You’ll see the cloth turn black and you’ll know you’re cleaning the piece.

The aluminum foil method also works great. Fill a bowl or jar halfway with hot water. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the bowl or a little more, depending on the size of the bowl. Mix the salt until it dissolves. Add a few strips of aluminum foil to the bowl. Add the silver jewelry to the bowl. Stir it around and let it sit for a few minutes. The aluminum foil interacts with the salt and removes the tarnish off the silver. Rinse the jewelry with water. This process may need to be repeated a few times, but it is very effective in restoring your silver jewelry to its original shine.

Particularly valuable or antique pieces of silver should always be hand-polished, as buffing can permanently damage such a piece.

Is Lajerrio S925 Silver different from others?