Fake jewelry is a great way to keep up with the trends without breaking your bank – and there’s nothing wrong with that. Unfortunately, fake silver jewelry loses its luster easily. After a while, the jewelry will begin to tarnish and lose its appeal.
That, however, doesn’t mean you should throw out the jewelry. In this post, we will show you two main methods you can use to restore jewelry to its original shine at the comfort of your home.
How to Make Fake Jewelry Silver Again?
Being a precious metal, pure sterling silver jewelry can be expensive to acquire, especially if you’re trying to build a collection. But, there’s no reason why you can’t have mix fake silver jewelry with the finer kind.
The problem is, however, that after a few wears, the fake silver will begin to lose its appeal. The cheaper metal alloys in the fake jewelry will begin to oxidize causing the jewelry to discolor and tarnish. What was once a shining piece of silver jewelry will now look like a used penny.
The good news is, however, that there are ways around this. You can easily restore the silver shine of your jewelry while at home, by removing the tarnish on your jewelry. There are two simple main techniques you can employ to achieve this and they are as follows:
Method 1: Polish the Fake Silver Jewelry.
Polishing your fake jewelry is not only a great way of restoring its shine but also a great way of cleaning it. Polishing also helps buff out the shallow scratches on your jewelry where possible. It will have your jewelry looking new in no time. While you can take your jewelry to the jeweler to polish, why pay $25+ for something you can do yourself at home. It’s an easy process and all the materials you need can be gotten at home. You can polish your jewelry using the following things:
1.Baby Shampoo.
Using soap is a great way of flushing out the tarnish. Baby shampoo is a mild soap that’s more suitable for fake jewelry and delicate stones in case of any. To use it to polish your jewelry, you need to mix a drop of the baby shampoo to 240ml of warm water. Mix in the soap well until the water becomes foamy. At this point, you can use a cotton swab to rub the soapy water on your jewelry and remove the tarnish. It’s also a great way of cleaning the tight spaces in the jewelry. If you still feel the jewelry needs more scrubbing, you can use a soft-bristled toothbrush.
If the jewelry has gemstones, avoid water soaking in them as this may loosen up the glue that’s holding it in place. Instead use a clean 100% pure cotton cloth, wet it with warm soapy water, and use it to wipe around the edges of the gemstones to remove the tarnish. Once you’re done removing the tarnish, rinse the jewelry in cold water and dry it by patting it with a towel.
2.Lemon Juice.
Lemon juice is another great thing, readily available to use when polishing your fake jewelry at home. The acidity of the lemon juice breaks down the tarnish making it easier to polish the jewelry. Begin by mixing equal parts of lemon juice and warm water, that is, if you use one cup of lemon juice then you have to use one cup of warm water. Place your jewelry in the lemon juice solution and let it sit there for about 10 minutes. You can then remove the jewelry and scrub out the tarnish with a soft toothbrush. Once that’s done, rinse the jewelry with clean water and pat it dry.
Keep in mind, however, that lemon juice is highly acidic, so do not use it alone. Ensure you mix it with equal amounts of warm water to balance out the acidity. Also, do not use this method on jewelry containing fake stones. Soaking such jewelry may loosen the stone by loosening the glue.
3.Ketchup.
Ketchup also has some acidity due to the presence of vinegar and lactic acid used to make it. It can, therefore, also help break the tarnish. It’s also readily available in the kitchen. So, it’s the best thing if you find yourself in a bind and have nothing else to use. First, put enough ketchup on a plate or bowl. Cover your jewelry completely in it and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This gives the ketchup enough time to remove the tarnish.
You can then completely rinse the ketchup off the jewelry using cold water and part it dry. If you want to get rid of the smell, you can clean the jewelry using soapy water as opposed to just rinsing it.
4.Toothpaste.
Toothpaste is yet another readily available ingredient you can use to polish your fake jewelry at home. It contains abrasive elements that are useful in removing tarnish. To begin with, put a small amount of the toothpaste on a soft toothbrush. Then, while working in circular motions, rub the tarnish off the jewelry. Keep doing this until the jewelry starts to shine. From there leave the jewelry for 5 minutes before you rinse it with cold water. Pat the jewelry with a towel and ensure it’s completely dry to avoid tarnishing.
Ensure that you use non-gel toothpaste that is meant to whiten teeth. Such toothpaste contains baking soda that which helps with discoloration. Also, you can use a soft cloth as opposed to a toothbrush although the bristles of the brush are better at reaching the crevasses of the jewelry.
5.Metal Polish.
There is a probability that even after cleaning and polishing your jewelry, the original shine may not be fully restored. In such cases, you can use metal polish from any home care store to make your jewelry shine again. Simply apply a small amount of the polish into a cleaning cloth and wipe the jewelry. Use circular motions to help buff the metal so the jewelry can shine again.
Method 2: Deep-Cleaning Using Baking Soda.
Aside from polishing, baking soda is a great agent when it comes to removing tarnish from your fake silver jewelry. It contains bleaching elements that help with eliminating discoloration, hence great for deep cleaning your tarnished jewelry. The process involves a few simple steps and you would need the following items: Baking soda, salt, water, aluminum plate or foil, clean cloth, and a microwave.
Once you have everything you need, you can follow these simple steps to remove the tarnish from your fake jewelry:
- Start by taking out all of your tarnished jewelry and setting aside the ones that have stones on them.You’ll need to be careful cleaning them to avoid loosening the glue and having the stones fall out later.
- Next prep a glass bowl, by lining the inside with aluminum foil. Be careful not to tear the foil. Alternatively, if you have an aluminum plate, something like a pie dish, you can use that instead. The aluminum will help pull off all the tarnish from your jewelry.
- Once the bowl is prepped, mix in one tablespoon of baking soda and one tablespoon of salt. The salt serves to improve the bleaching function of the baking soda, making it easier to remove the tarnish.
- In a microwave, heat one cup of water for about two minutes. The water should be hot but not boiling.
- Add the hot water to the bowland mix with salt and baking soda to create the solution. Ensure you mix well and that there are no clamps. Let the solution sit for about a minute after stirring to allow everything to properly liquefy.
- You can then add the tarnished jewelry into the solution ensuring it’s fully covered. Remember to avoid submerging any jewelry with stones on them.
- Let the jewelry sit in the solution for 10 minutes. This should be enough time for the salt and baking soda to oxidize the tarnish off the jewelry and transfer it to the aluminum foil. If not, you can add another 2-3 minutes.
- When you remove the jewelry, you should notice that it’s shinier. At this point, you can use the clean rag to gently rub the jewelry in circular motions to remove any remaining tarnish. Occasionally wet the cloth with the solution for the best results. For intricately designed areas that are difficult to reach, a soft toothbrush may be of better use. If there even tighter areas, try using a toothpick to clean. Ensure, however, that the toothbrush and cloth are all clean and don’t have multiple uses.
- Once all the tarnish is out, rinse the rest of the solution offby dipping the jewelry in clean water.
- Dry off the jewelry by patting it using a soft microfiber towel. For a faster drying process, you could also use a hairdryer at its coolest setting. Whichever the case, ensure the jewelry is completely dry so it doesn’t rust or tarnish again.
Conclusion
By using either of the two techniques and following the simple steps, you will have your jewelry shining in no time. All this at no extra cost, plus you now won’t have to throw away your jewelry.
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Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.