How to Keep the Silver of Costume Jewelry From Fading
Silver costume jewelry is jewelry that has been made with a metal that resembles silver but is much cheaper than real silver. This metal may be nickel, zinc, lead, or iron, or some combination of two or more. These metals, also called base metals, can corrode very easily. This may make the silver costume jewelry look faded or severely tarnished. However, because the metal is not real silver, it can not be cleaned easily with silver polish. The best way to keep silver costume jewelry looking shiny is prevention. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Silver costume jewelry
- Clear nail polish
- Soft bristled toothbrush
- Baby shampoo
- Cotton cloth
- Compartmentalized jewelry box
Instructions
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Coat the silver metal of your costume jewelry with a thin layer of clear nail polish by gently sweeping the nailpolish brush evenly across the jewelry.
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Allow to dry on a cotton cloth overnight. Try not to touch the jewelry until dry or you may leave fingerprint marks in the nail polish.
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Clean the jewelry once a week by gently sweeping baby shampoo across the surface of the metal and scrubbing lightly with a soft bristled toothbrush.
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Wipe the shampoo off with a cotton cloth. Do not use water, as moisture is the main cause of corrosion in base metals.
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Store costume jewelry separately from other items by placing each piece in its own compartment in a compartmentalized jewelry box.
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Tips & Warnings
If you do not have a compartmentalized jewelry box, or if you have more jewelry than compartments, you can also place jewelry in individual plastic baggies and store together in a jewelry box.
References
- Photo Credit Comstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
