Why is My Silver Clay Jewellery Turning Black? Causes and Solutions

Why is my Silver Clay Jewellery turning Black?

 

If you are involved in making Fingerprint Jewellery, Artwork Jewellery, Handprint Jewellery or any other type of  Silver Clay Jewellery, you may on occasions be surprised to discover that an item of Jewellery that you have made has tarnished or suddenly turned black.

 

There is a common false belief that pure silver doesn’t tarnish, but unfortunately, this is not true. The main cause for silver turning black or tarnishing, is due to the formation of silver sulphides from environmental and air pollutants, as I will explain below.

 

Does Pure Silver Turn Black?

 

All Silver has the potential to tarnish for a number of reasons.  When Silver combines with sulphur, it forms silver sulphides, which is black and is the oxidizing process, which we refer to as tarnish.

 

What causes Silver to Tarnish?

 

Tarnishing usually occurs due to environmental and atmospheric pollutants, such as exposure to air, moisture or chemicals, including perfume, shampoo, soaps, chlorine, bleach and cleaning agents.  However, occasionally Silver can also react to individual skin acidity, hormonal changes, medications, antibiotics, or even multi-vitamins. 

 

Applying make up or handling food items, which contain sulphur compounds, such as eggs, fish, onions, or oil can also cause silver to tarnish, as can exposure to air pollutants.  In fact, there are a number of factors that may lead to Silver turning black or tarnish, including: 

 

Environmental - for instance, chemicals or toxins in the water, such as chlorine or gasses in the air, like carbon dioxide etc. 

 

Atmospheric - changes in atmospheric conditions, such as elevated temperatures, moisture in the air, increased humidity and poor air circulation can also cause tarnishing.

 

 

Household Products - everyday household and personal care products, such as medicines, cosmetics, hairsprays, perfume, bleach, detergents, paints, rubber and latex contain chemical compounds that can cause silver to tarnish. Even a person’s own individual body chemistry and skin acidity can cause tarnishing.

 

 

Sulphur Compounds - contact with Sulphur Compounds cans also cause silver to tarnish. Be careful when handing fossil fuels, such as coal or Oil and when preparing foods that contain sulphur, such as eggs, fish or onions.

 

Other irritants which cause Silver to turn Black

 

The glue used in manufacturing some display stands or Jewellery boxes can cause silver to tarnish. There have been reports of some Jewellery boxes and packaging causing issues with tarnishing. The tarnish caused by this is a little harder to remove, similar to tarnish caused by perfume and deodorant etc. where the chemical actually reacts with the silver, rather than just the surface oxidising slowly over time.

 

In fact, over time, any piece of Silver Jewellery that is exposed to air can tarnish. Silver tarnishes faster in areas with high humidity and air pollution, or through contamination with personal or household items, which can speed up the tarnishing process, as the silver reacts to irritants, such as, perspiration, acids or chemicals on your skin. 

 

 

How can you prevent Silver Tarnishing?

 

Although it is not always 100% possible to fully prevent tarnishing, due to the reasons outlined above, there are certain precautions that you can take to minimise the chances of your silver becoming tarnished, as follows:

 

• Don’t wear your Silver Jewellery when applying make-up, cleaning, washing-up, painting or gardening.

• Keep your silver in a sealed airtight bag or container, when you are not wearing it and clean it with an anti-tarnish polishing cloth before putting it away.

• Store it with anti-desiccant or a piece of chalk, to help keep moisture away.

• Remove your Silver Jewellery before sleeping, exercising, showering, bathing or swimming and keep it out of the bathroom and shower area.

• Keep your Jewellery clean by polishing with an anti-tarnish cloth before and after use. 

• Put your Jewellery on last when getting dressed and after applying lotions and cosmetics etc.

 

How do you fix silver that has turned black or tarnished?

 

If you have a piece of Silver Jewellery that has turned black or come tarnished, I recommend the following practices:

• Rinse in clean, warm water and thoroughly dry. 

• Polish firmly with a good quality, anti-tarnish cloth, which should remove most tarnishing.

• If you have a lot of tarnish to remove, you can either use Pro-Polishing Pads, or remove the tarnish by placing your Silver Jewellery into a neutralising bath.  This involves lining a bowl with aluminium foil, positioning the Jewellery onto the foil and then pouring boiling water into the bowl with a dash of bicarbonate of soda. Just add a spoonful at a time, until you see the tarnish lift off.  Rinse and dry thoroughly, then buff up with an anti-tarnish cloth.

• Alternatively, make a paste of Bircarb of Soda, apply it to your tarnished silver with a damp cloth.  Leave the paste to dry and then rub it off gently with a soft cloth. Rinse and dry thoroughly, then buff up with an anti-tarnish cloth.

 

Silver Clay Jewellery Care Instructions

 

Here are some silver care guidelines, which I recommend you print up and provide to your customers, along with an anti-tarnish polishing cloth to compliment their stunning new piece of Silver Clay Jewellery.

• Never wear pure silver or sterling silver in chlorinated water or when working with household cleaners such as bleach or ammonia, which will damage your silver. 

• Never wear your silver jewellery in a pool, the sea, or a hot tub. 

• Remove rings and bracelets, when washing your hands, washing up, before exercising, showering, bathing or sleeping. Saltwater, chemicals, and sweat can damage your silver. 

• Ensure that the jewellery is not exposed UV light, hairspray, perfume and cosmetics.

• Always store your Solid Silver jewellery separately from jewellery made from other metals.

• Keep your silver in a cool, dry place. Solid and Sterling Silver, like other precious metals, can oxidize with time. 

• It is a good idea to store silver in a tarnish-proof cloth or in drawers lined with tarnish-resistant strips. If silver does become tarnished, it is easily restored to its original gleam by using a treated polishing cloth or paste, intended for use on silver. Never use harsh cleaning methods such as Silver Dip which will damage the surface of the silver. 

• Avoid using tissue paper or paper towels as they can scratch silver and also sometimes tarnish the surface.