pearls and sterling

[boo]

I use a lot of sterling findings for my pearls, since I give away a lot of what I make and silver is much more economical than gold. However, I am at a bit of a loss with how to reconcile the care of tarnishing silver with delicate pearls. I normally store silver jewelry in a plastic baggie with an antitarnish strip, but as I have learned here, pearls need to breathe. Similarly, I have taken to storing my pearls in the bathroom so that they get some humidity (my house gets insanely dry in the winter), but doesn't humidity accelerate tarnishing? While the silver polishing cloths can be useful, they don't work very well on ornate silver (It is difficult to get the cloth into the nooks and crannies, so I end up with a two-tone bright/tarnished look). Silver cleaning solution would be out as well, since the pearls would be adversely affected by it. I suspect that I am not the only Lowly Beader who uses silver. Does anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Caitlin]

Hi
Boo.

I use a polishing cloth and only polish what I can reach. I like the look. I inherited some very ornate to the max, (Francis I) sterling from my MOL. I like the look when it has tarnish in the depths.

Have you tried that pink paste with a tiny brush? I think you can avoid the pearls and get into it with a tiny brush.

 

[DFrey]

Hi Boo,
I did a workshop once with a well known Canadian silversmith and she had a similar attitude toward silver as Caitlin does that over time the tarnish is just part of silver pieces and looks great. Its a good attitude as silver will almost always tarnish.

I use baking soda made into a fairly dry paste and a tooth brush to clean some silver pieces that tarnish. But its still as much work or more than using a sivler polish and a brush. The baking soda is a favorite for metal artists who make brushed or matte finish silver pieces because it will usually take the tarnish off but not change the original surface. I have used it on pieces with pearls in them, I just avoid the pearl as much as possible.

You could check next time you buy silver findings for your pearls to see if your supplier has rhodium plated clasps then you would avoid the problem of tarnishing because rhodium won't tarnish. That would be the best long term solution to your problem.

Dfrey

 

[Ingykiz]

Boo,
I have a lot of sterling silver jewelry, most of it Native American. I was advised many years ago to use plain toothpaste, because turquoise is very delicate and silver cleaners were too harsh. I gently massage the toothpaste onto the area with my fingers. If it is really tarnished, your fingers will turn black but it will wash off. I rinse with tap water and gently pat dry. I have never tried it with pearl jewelry but if you got non abrasive toothpaste (good luck with that-try the health food store near you) and avoided the pearl area, it may work out ok. Good Luck!
Ingykiz

 

[knotty panda]

Boo: Hi gal! Argentium Sterling isn't that much more expensive than sterling and doesn't tarnish. Here's a link to some Argentium clasps http://www.argentiumsilverfindings.com/index.html?lang=en-us&target=front.html. Here's http://www.silversmithing.com/care.htm a link to the American Society of Silversmithing website.

 

[salem]

Hi Boo,

I for one am in favor of the baking polish. It is more natural, and I usually get a brighter polish than from my polishing cloths. I have tried toothpaste, but I have seen some scratching on some flat surfaces. So I don't use that anymore. Although I am not so sure about baking soda and pearls. If you email me, I can give you the name of a woman who could help out. She works alot with silver and makes beautiful things. I think she may use pearls with them sometime too. Good luck.

Jennifer

 

[nlerner]

I was told by a serious antiquarian that any attempt to polish silver will always take off some of the silver. As Caitlin and Dfrey have said, the tarnish is just part of silver pieces and looks great.
The only way to clean silver is with a damp cloth.

 

[perlas]

i guess pearls and silver do not really mix unless you prefer the tarnished look in silver.

the best way i think is what dfrey said, buy rhodium-plated sterling silver. there is a bit of a premium but it won't tarnish and you won't have to spend on silver cleaners if you want the "shiny silver look".

since i'm a lowly beader who sells some works at shops. it may become a problem when the silver starts to tarnish, as the products don't look new (although i think that the tarnished silver do look good on intricate beads).

since gold is expensive to be normally given away and silver tarnishes and it's hard to clean with pearls, i often use brass that may give that nice antique look to replace silver. i've also seen aluminum chains and wires being available as alternative (although the brass pins i see are often quite thick to fit in pearls with small drill holes).

 

[boo]

Thanks for all of the suggestions! I have some of my own jewelry that is tarnished and I love the look (especially on vintage stuff). However, I make some of the gift pieces well in advance of the occasion for which they will be given, and I don't want them to look old and dull. I will look into picking up some of the alternative metal findings, and I will try some of your other suggestions for the pieces that I already have.

Boo

 

[Aycee]

maybe also have a look at goldfilled findings, they seem very affordable also.

Alain

 

[The Pearl Outlet]

As mentioned in several above posts, rhodium plating does take care of the tarnishing problem with silver. From my experience, there is about a 50% premium for the rhodium-plated silver.

I've seen several designers use rhodium plated silver for their creations. One such designer that comes to mind is the French award-winning designer Frederic Duclas who, many years ago, did contract work for Tiffany. Nearly all of his designs that include pearls are made with rhodium plated silver. My point: rhodium plated silver is a great way to make affordable designer pearl jewelry which won't tarnish.

 

[knotty panda]

Terry: Very interesting to know! How can I tell if the rhodium plating is over silver? I always assumed it was over base metal and I have steered clear of it.

 

[The Pearl Outlet]

If you're buying finished goods, you should be able to find out from the seller. There are two ways to tell though.

1.) By law anyone who manufactures jewelry must stamp the piece. A sterling silver piece should be stamped as SS or .925. If it's rhodium plated (RP), it may or may not have an RP stamp also since the RP stamp isn't required.

2.) Price. Base metal is much less expensive. Rhodium plated silver should run about 50% more than silver by itself. If the RP item is cheaper than the corresponding silver item, the RP must be over base metal.

 

[jshepherd]

It is important to point out, however, that stamps mean nothing if you are buying from a trader in China. Just as a 14k stamp means nothing in an open market in central America, these stamps are used indiscriminately in China. Before investing too much be sure to conduct your own tests.

 

[aerinha]

A pearl strand I bought had a sterling clasp (btw the easiest to use pearl clasp ever and if it's not patented, Jeremy, you should look into it in gold) and it came with this 1inch x 1inch piece of black paper labeled "anti-tarnish strip do not remove" and labeled 3M. Shortly after, any good piece of silver I purchased came with this square so I had a lot floating around the house. I also had a gray pearl ring set in sterlingfrom my childhood that stopped fitting when I gained weight then turned black over time so that by 17 when weight loss put my ring size back at the 5.5 it was in my childhood, I was not inclined to wear the ring.

I match jewelry to clothes for work, so when I was desperate for a gray ring to go with some gray tahitians I tried an experiment as I knew I had to be careful what I got near the pearl to clean the ring band. I took the anti-tarnish strip and rubbed it with some pressure over the band and voila! bye-bye black stuff. It did not make make the sterling shiny and "new", but it is now a pewter color rather like antique sterling jewelry. Yes it was hard to get at some crevices, but this kept dangerous liquids off the pearl and cleaned it enough that I could wear it.

The question becomes, where do you buy these little wonders? Having a few in with sterling should prevent tarnishing to begin with.

 

[PearlStruck.com]

If it's a 3M product, you should be able to get it from any number of places. I just did a Google search for "3M anti-tarnish strips" and over 2,000 results came up. Hope that helps.

 

[pattye]

Hi All,

There is also anti-tarnish fabric, and I have several jewelry boxes lined with some type of anti-tarnish, not supposed to harm any jewels. If I put jewelry in "clean" it really stays that way!

Also I have a "speedy plate" to clean silver which I think is aluminum or some metal, I put it in a glass baking dish, add a quart of boiling hot water and 2-3 heaping TBSP of household washing soda. Just drop items in and they clean right away!! It is pretty cool! I haven't used with pearls, but as the water cools it still works, then I would try items with pearls. [info with speedy plate says it works by 1. producing hydrogen 2. being only strong enough to remove the soft ions of sulphur 3. having an electrolytic action to draw dirt onto the plate and not onto your hands.] I really like this because I can clean tons of pieces in short order!!

I am now making jewelry with pearls and silver, so I will be curious if you all come up with some better solutions! Would LOVE to find a source for rhodium plated findings------although I do like the oxidized look----for some items the best solution may be to disassemble the item, clean the silver and restring.

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[knotty panda]

Aluminium-plated tarnish removal: I have heard stories of this process pitting silver, so I'd be afraid to use it on pearls. But that's just me.

The anti-tarnish strips are relatively inexpensive and are available at firemountain. You're supposed to store the silver in a plastic bag with the strip when not wearing, but with pearls and silver, I'd use a silk pouch.

Argentium is a higher grade of sterling silver which does not tarnish, needs no special cleaning or storage, and is not that much more expensive than the regular sterling you're probably used to purchasing. If you have a design you are not going to remake, try that.

Pattye: You need to post those pics!

 

[pattye]

OOPS, SORRY, read further--it does say no pearls, however, not certain if that is because of the hot water or the washing soda. The item is in the bath for a short time--say 30 sec?? a little longer as the water cools. I have not noticed any pitting on any of my pieces, but would be cautious on plated pieces or antiques. I liked that it was non abrasive.

So where does one get argentium? Could I just buy a can and spray it on??

Pattye
so many pearls, so little time

 

[Valeria101]

So where does one get argentium? Could I just buy a can and spray it on??

There was a bit about the where, how and why on Ganoskin.

I don't think it sprays on ... the easiest non-traditional metal work think that comes to mind (aside buying findings, and precious wire 'knitting' and 'weaving) would be the use of precious metal clays... I don't think I have sen much of that done with pearls, but there's no obvious reason either.

[Would imagine you know of these... just can't tell through the screen. Sorry if way redundant ]