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Dealing With Tarnished Silver

As a silversmith I am constantly dealing with tarnished silver. Something to realize about the properties of silver is that it is photosensitive. In other words, it reacts to light. The brighter the light, the more reactive it is. That is why silver is used in the manufacture of film for cameras and other photographic supplies.

To combat the effect of light on sterling silver many manufacturers of jewelry will plate their sterling with rhodium, a platinum-like metal which does not tarnish. A thin layer of rhodium on the jewelry blocks out the light and imparts a silvery look to your sterling jewelry. But rhodium, like platinum, is very expensive so only a small amount of rhodium is plated onto the silver surface. The rhodium soon wears off and you are left with exposed areas of silver which soon tarnishes.

Another little known fact about silver and tarnish is that .925 sterling silver, being .075 parts nickel, tarnishes faster than .999 pure silver. The addition of nickel to the silver alloy known as 'sterling' makes it even more reactive to light, but much more usable as jewelry and silverware because the sterling silver is now harder and keeps it's shape much better than the softer .999 silver.

Sterling silver with a small amount of tarnish can be cleaned quickly simply by wiping with a soft cloth. Tougher jobs are best tackled using a half and half mixture of household ammonia and water. The ammonia with detergent works best and a soft bristled tooth brush will get into recesses. Soak the silver in the ammonia for 5 minutes then brush until clean and rinse with copious amounts of water. For extra tough jobs use a stronger mixture of ammonia to water.

Once your silver is shiny and clean, when you are not wearing it keep it in a dark place like a jewelry box. Silverware should be wrapped in a soft cloth and kept in a box for lengthy periods of storage.

Things NOT to use on silver include bleach, household cleaners like 409, Scotchbrite pads and steel wool. These products will either scratch your jewelry or turn it black. Once blackened by harsh chemicals the tarnish is nearly impossible to remove by anyone other than a jeweler.

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    Opal Characteristics

    Precious opal is a gemstone that exhibits flashes of rainbow-like colors when viewed from different angles. The colors are created by an arrangement of silica spheres within the opal. Common opal does not have this flash of color.

    Opal Colors: Opals have a light or dark body color that may be either translucent or transparent. The opals we see most often in jewelry have a milky-white base with varying flashes of color.

    Black opals are the most rare and expensive opals, with a body color that can range from dark grey to black with fiery flashes of color. Precious fire opals are another alternative. They have base colors ranging from yellow to orange, and can be transparent to translucent with fiery flashes.

    Opal Hardness: Opal hardness varies, but generally ranges from 5.5 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale. Compare that to diamond, which rated at 10 is the hardest gem.

    Opal Care: Do not use harsh cleansers on your opals and do not clean opals with ultrasonic cleaners. Never rub oil on an opal, because although it makes the fire brighter it can damage the opal. Some jewelers recommend you periodically soak opals in water to help them reabsorb lost moisture.

    Opal Mining: Australia is the leading source for opals. but a great number of fire opals are found in Mexico. Other sources of precious opals include Africa, the United States, Brazil, areas of the former Soviet Union and Nicaragua.

    Opal Doublets and Triplets: Opal doublets and triplets are composite stones that are made by positioning a thin layer of opal on top of a chunk of glass or less expensive gemstone. To find a composite, inspect the sides of an opal, looking for indications that it's really a stack of layers. You can also check the stone's base to see if it matches the top. If it doesn't it might be a composite.

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