Combining silver with pearls- beautiful, but...

[suzannelowrie]

Dear Friends of the Freshwater Pearl:
So, I combined freshwater pearls, Bangkok gems and silver and made pendants. Silver!! Yup (the price of gold climbed too high). Silver and pearls look wonderful together. Now comes the hard part: combatting silver tarnish without harming the pearls. Last weekend I talked to 3 silver dealers in La Jolla and the store owner of a gigantic beading supply store in San Diego. After a lot of experimentation, I find that taping off the pearls with that blue painter's tape helps diminish fear. Then I used Wrights Silver Cream and a baby toothbrush. Next, I rubbed the silver with a paper towel to remove the tarnish. I removed the blue painter's tape. Lastly, I rinsed with chlorine-free water to remove all silver cream residue. I rubbed the pendants dry with a clean paper towel. Well, this proceedure sounds speedy, but finding what works best is the result of two days of experimentation. One person told me to use a paste of baking soda and water. Nope, doesn't work. I thought of putting silver beads between pearls, using Argentium silver. End of that idea. Silver and pearls are a gorgeous combination, but I can hardly wait for the price of gold to sink to $500 an ounce so I can buy extra-white gold. Meanwhile, I need to put on music, slow down, get calm and enjoy the process of polishing. Bach, maybe.

[pearlescence]

I have a silver anti-tarnish cloth, just rub over and the silver comes up bright and new

[pattye]

I have a couple of jewelry boxes that came lined with anti tarnish flannel, if items are put away clean and not left out after wearing, there isn't any polishing to do!! I also have purchased adhesive backed anti tarnish flannel to line drawers with (haven't done it yet, though) and anti-tarnish strips, which I do use also. Manufacturers swear the anti-tarnish won't hurt pearls. Also yardage is available that is anti-tarnish, have some of that also.

I "heard" argentium silver will eventually tarnish, just a lot more slowly??

[DFrey]

I use baking soda all the time to get rid of tarnish on my silver pieces and silver and gold pieces, particulary ones with a matte finish. This always works for me. I guess the devil is in the details of your method. I also use a rouge polishing cloth for some situations.

As far as $500 gold, don't hold your breath on that one.

DFrey

[aggiep]

Have you tried toothpaste and a soft toothbrush yet? I wouldn't worry too much since people who buy silver know it will tarnish. As for gold prices, I saw it rise over $700 and ounce back in the late 70's only to fall below $300 by the late 90's. It rose recently to over $1000 an ounce, and Friday dipped under $800. You never know when it will dip lower, but the cycles I've seen show it will fall back again, it is just a matter of when and how much. I don't think $500 and ounce for gold is out of the rhelm of possibility, but it may take a couple of years to happen. Metals do poor when the economy is stable and healthy. When the economy is bad they skyrocket as a hedge against the bad times. So when will the economy stabilize?

[suzannelowrie]

Dear Friends of the Freshwater Pearl:
Thank you. I can't express my gratitude enough. Aggie (and others) clued me in to anti-tarnish jewelry bags, and set me on the path to "Intercept Technology", a company that makes anti-tarnish bags, anti-tarnish strips, anti-tarnish pouches and every product imaginable that can soak up and neutralize the bad stuff that floats into a jewelry pouch. Intercept Technology even makes giant bags for car engines and parts of military jets. I bought 500 strips for $30 using the cheapest shipping method. I bought a few samples of bags to look at. The pix on their website reveal silver teapots and silver tea trays emerging with a pristine silver finish from the Intercept Technology "envelopes". Huh! All those years of polishing silver before family dinners. I thought that's what everyone did: sit around the table muttering and polishing. Oh, well. No polishing. I'll have less to do and can post photos of pearl farms or some other useful task. P.S. Safe for pearls.

[Monty Hall]

Meanwhile, I need to put on music . . . Bach, maybe.

"...some other useful task", like putting on some Bach!

CarolK

[Nerida]

Everyone needs a little Bach in their lives...