Maybe you have experienced it, you have worn your jewelry for a while and suddenly your silver jewelry has turned black. How is that possible?
Are my silver jewelry fake?
My jewelry has suddenly turned black, does that mean it's fake? No definitely not! Silver is a precious metal and it can oxidize (you can see this as a kind of rust layer). By wearing the jewelry, oxidation does not stand a chance. By wearing it you 'clean' your jewelry, but if you leave it for a while it can take its own course. It is a natural process and it is certainly not harmful to your jewelry.
Why is my silver turning black?
Hydrogen sulfide (sulfur) is the culprit! This substance is found in the air and in other substances. When your silver comes into contact with this, a kind of chemical reaction occurs. What you can do in any case is make sure that your jewelry does not come into contact with materials that contain a lot of sulfur such as onions, latex, perfumes, rubber, wool, elastic, eggs.
My silver turns black by wearing it
Sometimes it is possible that your silver jewelry reacts to your skin, this has to do with the acidity of your skin. Sweat also increases the acidity of the skin, which can cause the silver to oxidize. The acidity of your home depends on alcohol consumption, diet and certain medications.
How do you prevent silver from turning black
Every skin is different, some react to silver jewelry and others don't. Incidentally, it does not mean that you are allergic to silver if your silver turns black. What can you do to prevent your jewelry from turning black?
- Wear your jewelry! By wearing them they are 'naturally' polished and your jewelry does not turn black
- Avoid contact with sulphur-containing materials, sulfur makes jewelry black
- Take off your jewelry while exercising
- Make sure that your jewelry comes into contact with liquids as little as possible (water, disinfectant, chlorine, perfume)
Cleaning silver jewelry
Fortunately, silver jewelry is easy to clean. You can do this buy cleaning cloths, make sure these are impregnated, then they work better. You can also give your jewelry a nice bath. DO NOT do this with rings that contain (precious) stones. Not all stones can withstand this bath.
Take a container with aluminum foil on the entire bottom, with the shiny side up. Pour boiling water into it and add some baking soda or baking soda. Put your jewelry in it and make sure they are in contact with the aluminum foil. You will see your silver jewelry turn silver again in fifteen minutes. You can also add some salt or vinegar if needed.
Would you rather not go on the do-it-yourself tour? Then you can always visit the jeweler. The jeweler has an 'ultrasonic' bath and knows exactly which jewelry is and is not allowed in there. An ultrasonic bath is a bath in which there is a vibration that vibrates all the dirt from your jewellery, as it were.
