Precious Silver - Silver Jewellery and How to Care for It

The chemical symbol for silver comes from argentum, which is what the Romans called it and became the international name of the element. Contemporary and Traditional Silver Jewellery:

Who would have thought it but Thailand's second, largest city Chiang Mai is the perfect place to find a mix of contemporary and traditional, ethnic, silver jewellery. 

From the people of the Hilltribes migrated from China into Vietnam, Laos, Burma and of course Thailand for over 100 years each had distinctive culture, religion and dress which could be identified through intricate, silver motif and designs.

The actual making and wwaring of the jewellery is also a significant part of their culture and has transcended from the hilltribes in Northern Thailand practiced by a few tribal specialists the large factories of Chiang Mai. Now in Chiang Mai, influenced by these ethnic designs, you may also find contemporary bracelets rings, necklaces and earrings on Wualai Street.

In fact, the silver in Thailand is seen as so precious that many hill tribes prefer silver as currency to paper money and demonstrate their wealth through wearing chunky, heavy silver jewellery. To pay for hill tribe jewellery in Northern Thailand, sometimes you have to buy it by the actual weight in grams multiplied by the gram price of the day!!!!

How do you care for Silver Jewellery?

It is important to note the difference between sterling silver and any other type of silver. Sterling silver was developed to assist in the silver holding its shape. This usually happens by mixing 92.5 per cent true silver with 7.5 percent of an alloy which is usually both copper and zinc but not always. Sterling silver jewellery can also be given the appearance of platinum by coating it with rhodium. This is designed to try and make your jewellery more tarnish resistant as sterling silver can still tarnish. It tarnishes when a reaction is caused by silver and sulfer and oxygen, or by wearing it when you go swimming or by coming in contact with hairspray.

It is important to note also that over time a black oxidation can build up in the fine detail which is where the silver has developed a mellow patina. This can be positive though as it can give the jewellery piece and a beautiful antique look.

Storage:

To avoid a reaction with oxoygen and the oxidation proces, it is recommended that the jewellery i stored in an air tight container lined with something soft.

Cleaning

It may seem strange, and I don't quite understand this, but I hear the actually wearing your jewellery is one of the best ways to keep your jewellery clean and in a good condition. That doesn't mean to say that it doesn't need to be cleaned from time to time.

What you must do is ensure that whatever technique you use to clean the silver doesn't upset or damage any of the gemstones or other materials used on the jewellery.

You can sometimes clean simply using mild dish soap and warmwater, a toothbrush or a cotton swab. Toothpaste is quite a famous cleaning method for sterling silver, however care eeds to betaken with very smooth services as the small abrasive granuals that toothpaste can contain can scratch the jewellery. If the jewellery is textured then it is unlikely to be noticed and does bring the peice up bright and shiny.