At Merchants of the Sun, our pieces are made from 925 (92.5%) recycled silver. Silver is a soft, lustrous metal, and although our pieces are rugged and well-worn in appearance, they are 'fine jewellery' - meaning to keep them looking bold and beautiful, a bit of tender loving will go a long way.

So are you ready for the secret to cleaning your jewellery at home? 

It's pretty simple, really - every product you purchase from us will include a silver polishing cloth, a soft cotton cloth infused with Long Term Silver Polish ingredients to restore its shine and inhibit discolouration.

AND voilà - so all you have to do, is make sure you buy something off us, and you'll get a complimentary polishing cloth. Just kidding! But it's greatly encouraged. 

Anyway, whether it's from us or not, If you haven't worn your piece in a while and it's grown darker or yellow from exposure to pollutants in the atmosphere, many DIY methods will help you remove the tarnish and bring your pieces back to life! 

Methods for cleaning your silver.

 

The simplest way to clean your silver is to add a few drops of dish soap to warm water and mix until bubbles form, but be careful not to use too much. 

FYI - Do Not Use this Method with Gemstone Pieces. One of the most common reasons for a stone to fall out is if the ring is exposed to hot temperatures, this causes the gem to loosen the epoxy glue holding the gemstone in place.

But no gemstone, no problem - let's continue. 

Then soak the jewellery in the solution for about 5 to 10 minutes. Clean with a soft-bristle toothbrush to get into any of those hard-to-reach places. Rinse the jewellery off in clean water and dry using a cloth or microfiber towel to avoid scratching.

If soap and water didn't do the trick, try using a paste made from 2 parts baking soda to 1 part water and gently rub over the surface, then rinse and dry the silver to remove the tarnish from the surface.

Alternatively, you can use the toothpaste trick. Yes, I too thought this was a myth for a long time, kind of like an old wives tale but alas - I tried it myself, and it worked. 

So, rub a small amount of diluted toothpaste over the jewellery and see for your very own eyes the wonderous work for cleaning silver. 

It serves as an excellent polish, removing tarnish and shining the article to glistening perfection. Just make sure the toothpaste is not the 'whitening' kind as that can be bad. Very bad. 

 

The key to keep your silver shining.

As strange as it may seem, the secret to protecting your silver from tarnishing is wearing it. Although it's impossible to preserve a piece of jewellery from all that life completely throws at it, wearing it often exposes the jewellery to the natural oils in your skin. Yes, that sounds weird; the oiliness of your body can keep your silver shining - perhaps borderline gross, BUT truth be told, the daily friction keeps your pieces sparkling and polished while looking exceptional on you. 

 

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If you have your own methods for keeping your jewellery clean, feel free to drop a comment below as we are always on the hunt for new and brilliant ideas!