If you own sterling silver jewelry, this guide will show you how to store it properly. It’s important to make sure that they are stored in the right environment so tarnishing is prevented. With good care, you can make sure that your 925 sterling silver jewelry lasts a long time.
This should also be a guide followed by jewelry store owners that want to store overstock. The last thing you want to do is accidentally tarnish your silver jewelry that would be no good to sell. With that said, let’s take a look now at how you can properly store your sterling silver jewelry.
Make sure they are separate from other metals
Sterling silver is not the only metal that is used for jewelry. You have gold and platinum as well. You should make sure your sterling silver is separated from them.
You could have a jewelry box each with separate spaces for each of your pieces. Make sure you use the available space for jewelry whether it would be your sterling silver heart necklace or something else.
Organize your jewelry
To tie into the previous point, your jewelry should be organized by the type of metals so they are separate. Also, you may want to separate them based on the pieces of jewelry they are. Rings in one compartment, pendants in another, and so on.
This will keep things organized and you’ll know where everything is. You don’t have to be a neat freak or anything. Organizing it for the purpose of knowing where everything is will make life easy and more efficient.
Store it at the proper temperature
Sterling silver jewelry will tarnish if stored in an environment that is high in heat and humidity. If you live in an area where this is normal, you’ll want to make sure that your jewelry is stored somewhere that is cool and dry. You may want to put it in a room where it’s cooled by an air conditioner.
Alternatively, you can use a dehumidifier to ensure the humidity levels in that room are low. Leaving it out in a room while the temperature and humidity increases would be a mistake. Yet, these should be stored in jewelry cases as it is rather than out in the open.
Another layer of protection against heat and humidity is making sure it’s stored in an airtight container. The tighter it is, the lesser chance heat and humidity will gain entry.
Clean jewelry regularly
It would be a good idea to clean your sterling silver jewelry regularly. This would include the use of a cleaning kit with sealer and protective coating. Your jewelry should be washed using warm water and a small scrubbing brush.
Alternatively, an ultrasonic cleaner can be useful for you if you want to clean several pieces of jewelry at the same time. If you are a jewelry store owner, this can come in handy for all your sterling silver earrings jewelry. Clean them on a regular basis and they will surely last a long time.
Wear it regularly
It’s true. If you wear your sterling silver jewelry regularly, you can lessen its risks of it getting tarnished. It’s the lengthy periods of storage that will increase it.
Also, a word of caution: your tarnished silver should be separate from your regular silver. It can spread from one piece of jewelry to another if they touch. Finally, make sure that you rotate it so it can reduce tarnishing.
In other words, you can switch out one piece of jewelry with another to wear. Then, you can take the other and store it in its case. You should also make sure to clean them when needed.
Make sure storage is secure
Your jewelry should be locked in a box. You want to make sure nothing happens to them such as theft or falling on the floor. Security is very important when it comes to the storage of your sterling silver jewelry.
Security is important when you are traveling. Make sure it’s in a locked box and ensure that it’s not moving around a lot. If needed, you can always insure them for when something happens.
Clean with natural materials
If you are cleaning silver jewelry, make sure that you use solutions that contain natural materials. Some of the cleaning solutions may contain ingredients that are harmful to your jewelry pieces. Before cleaning your jewelry, check the label for the ingredients that it contains.
If they do contain natural ingredients, they are safe to use. Otherwise, if you have a solution that doesn’t, that’s a no go.
Have a professional fix broken jewelry, if needed
If you have broken jewelry, you may need to have a professional fix it for you. If you are a jewelry store owner with some repair skills, you can get this done. Regardless, broken jewelry will need to be repaired if the pieces are damaged.
If the damage is irreversible, the jewelry piece will need to be properly disposed of. This means having it replaced with a new one. This can happen at times and it may be hard letting go of things that are sentimental.
Damage can occur due to improper care of your sterling silver jewelry. One good reason why storing it should be a better idea than nothing else.
Final Thoughts
If you have sterling silver jewelry, make sure it’s all properly stored. This will prevent tarnishing from happening. Sterling silver can last a long time with the right care and storage.
These tips listed above should not be taken lightly. Your sterling silver jewelry can last long enough to be passed on from one generation to the next. It can be a family heirloom that is priceless and can never be sold.
The more you take proper care and storage of your silver jewelry, the better they will turn out.
