QuestionFound great-grandmother's ring,1930's or earlier, thought it was silver, after polishing the ring & wearing it a few days, noticed a pale gold color showing through in a few spots. What would be the best cleaner or procedure to remove the "silver plating"?
AnswerSam, I thank you for this question. Now, another question arises: What is this yellowish metal? I suspect it to be a base metal such as brass. It is likely the silver was almost depleted over the years.
There is a distinct possibility the ring is sterling and the pale yellow may be only tarnish on the silver, since yellow is the first sign of that. Perhaps the ring is gold and the silver color was a thin plate to provide another color to fit the trend of the time. I really do not know and cannot without the ring in hand.
My first suggestion is to take the ring to a jeweler to have the metal tested. This simple acid or electronic test is relatively inexpensive and will tell you what you need to know.
I would not polish the ring further, at least not before you know what you really have. If gold, the white can be buffed away. If silver, the ring may be buffed to restore the original luster, given an occasional polish by you since natural sterling will tarnish in environmental air and other exposure.
Once you know what the metal really is, you may decide brass is not worth continued polish. If brass, use a good chemically treated polishing cloth after a buffing by a jeweler. They should also be able to provide this sort of cloth, like the "sunshine" cloth offered by Rio Grande, a supplier to many jewelers and to most better craft stores.
I do hope this helps somewhat. Let me know if you need more info by using the "follow-up" option that comes with the answer. I will be here, tired from the Christmas season work but here to answer.
God Bless and Peace. Thomas. December 17,2007 10:34PM
