Revive Tarnished Silver Jewelry: A Guide to Restoration

Question
I left some silver jewelry in over-the-counter jewelry cleaner (specified specifically for silver jewelry)  for the time it took me to take a shower,and when I pulled it out, some of the pieces looked chalky and dull.  Is there anything i can do to fix this? I tried rinsing with warm water, but got no luck. Are my pieces ruined?

Answer
Hello, Lib.

I actually get several questions about this very subject every year. The tarnish removing cleaner instructions generally say to leave the items in the solution for only a few seconds, perhaps a max of 15 seconds(I don't have a jar right here to say exactly).  The problem is that with this cleaner and other over the counter items, we take the instructions less seriously and are generally ok.   If the instructions said you would get a grayish dull look if you left the items longer, I believe folks would be more careful with the cleaner. However, I don't recall warnings about what happened to your silver jewelry being on the label.  It should be there in bold print.

There is a solution: Polishing.  Rinsing with water will not help since the grayish coloration you see is residue of silver left after tarnish has been removed.  Get the best polishing cloth you can find, such as one of the chemically treated ones. These cloths are not the ones with red rouge polish in the cloth. These are much better, quicker, last a long time and you simply toss when it stops working. One brand is "Sunshine Cloth".  That brand is sold by a company called Rio Grande and may be available or ordered through better crafts shops or jewelry stores who purchase items from Rio Grande.  Similar cloths are available.  Use as is and gently rub.

With some jewelry, recesses cannot be reached with a cloth to restore the shine. In that case, you will have to take the items to a jewelry store where a bench jeweler works in-house.  The bench jeweler is the one who actually works on jewelry.  Your silver items can most likely be buffed to a nice almost new look again.

I am sorry this happened to you. It doesn't make your silver any brighter to know this happens to lots of folks..but it does let you know it is an easy mistake to happen.  You certainly are not the only one.  : )

Best wishes, God Bless and Peace.  Thomas.