Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the doctor was adamant that we share knowledge and do what we can to help each other out and make the world a better place. It’s the best way to increase the light in the world. So we looked up “when jewelry” search terms on Google and answered them.
The first search term was “when jewelry turns green”
When jewelry turns green it’s a specific kind of tarnish on the jewelry. It is very common on copper, and brass pieces. You can clean the tarnish away with Brasso or with another mild cleanser. Vinegar will work, and a very soft toothbrush will help you clean the green away from your jewelry.
The next search term was “when jewelry says 925”
.925 is a jeweler’s mark. 925 indicates a metal’s purity. Sterling silver is .925 silver and it has other metals mixed with the silver to give it strength. .925 Sterling silver is a high-quality necklace because those other metals make your necklace more resilient than a .999 fine silver necklace, and just as beautiful.
The third query was: “when jewelry turns your skin green”
Okay, so the first search term was about jewelry turning green, but this one is about when jewelry turns your skin green. It is an allergic reaction. Usually, copper or brass, and sometimes other types of jewelry will turn your skin green. Some people are allergic to gold, and some people are allergic to silver, and that can definitely turn their skin green too. If this happens to you, take off the jewelry. Wash your skin. If you have a rashs, or if you have any blisters, watch the area closely and if it gets worse, contact your doctor.
Next we had: “when jewelry turns copper”
A lot of times, jewelry is plated. Plated jewelry is often made out of copper, and then, a small, thin layer, just a few atoms thick, of silver or gold, is placed on top of the copper. There are lots of ways to plate jewelry, but when the plating wears off the copper core of your jewelry is exposed.
Search term number 5: “when jewelry turns black”
When your jewelry turns black it usually means your jewelry was Sterling silver or fine silver. It’s okay it turned black, it’s just tarnished. You can clean it. Here is a link to an article about how to clean silver jewelry.
The sixth search was: “when jewelry breaks meaning”
When your jewelry breaks it means it’s broken. (Unless this is some kind of slang I don’t know – which is totally possible.) If you have a chain and one of the links comes open in the chain, then that chain necklace is broken. Sometimes jewelry can be repaired. Sometimes it can’t. It depends on the nature of the break, and what other damage the jewelry piece incurred. Sometimes you can fix broken jewelry at home. We have a necklace repair video on YouTube. Check it out if you have a broken necklace. You can probably fix it at home.
The seventh most searched term was: “when jewelry turns skin green”
Okay. So now we are back to what happens if your skin turns green. When your skin changes color it might be because of an allergic reaction. It might mean that something in the piece of jewelry that you are wearing does not agree with you. The best way to deal with that is to stop wearing the piece of jewelry. Sometimes, with a ring, for example, you can coat the jewelry with clear fingernail polish. You will have to reapply it because it will wear off, but if you have a ring that you love but it turns your skin green, then paint the inside of it with fingernail polish, let it dry, and then wear it. Reapply the fingernail polish as needed.
Google search term number eight: “when jewelry is gold filled”
Gold-filled jewelry has a thicker coating of gold than gold-plated jewelry. We have some gold-filled chains in the shop, they are silver on the inside. We apply many thin coats of gold to the silver thus creating a gold-filled chain. This leads nicely into the next search term…
Query nine: “when jewelry is plated”
Gold-plating is a thin layer, just a few atoms thick, of gold applied to a base metal chain. Most of the time that’s okay because you are not going to wear your jewelry when you go swimming in the ocean, or go into a sauna, or work outside all day. As long as you keep your jewelry nice and clean, and you wear it on nice occasions the thin layer of gold will remain intact. If you are a little tougher on your jewelry then opt for gold-filled chains.
The last searched term for the day was: “when jewelry cleaner”
If this is asking how often should we should use a jewelry cleaner then I think I can help. Anytime you go to a jewelry shop you can see, or hear the cleaner buzzing. Most jewelry shops have a Sonic Cleaner behind the counter or in the back, and it is useful for cleaning jewelry. Not filthy jewelry, mind you, but it gets the nooks and crannies clean. If your jewelry is relatively clean and you want to recapture the “new” sparkle, then using a jewelry cleaner will definitely help. You can use a Sonic Cleaner to clean gold-filled jewelry sometimes. Less is more. You can use a Sonic Cleaner on plated jewelry occasionally, but again, less is more. The layer of gold over silver or gold over copper on plated jewelry is thin and every time you put a plated item in a jewelry cleaner some of the plating wears away. The same is true of gold-filled jewelry, although the layer of gold on a gold-filled item is much thicker. Today, there are so-called “waterproof jewelry” items. I do not know if one of those, whatever treatment or coating was applied to the jewelry would still be intact after Sonic Cleaning. As far as stones go, hard stones can be cleaned frequently. If you have a gold ring with a diamond in it, right, then that can be cleaned a lot. And it will be perfectly fine. If you have a gold-plated ring with a CZ stone; it will be fine. But eventually, the plating will start to wear. The CZ is strong enough that it won’t make any difference on that; that’s fine. If you have an opal, I advise against using a jewelry cleaner. It is a water stone it is very soft. If you have any other very soft stones, like pearls, there are other ways, that are just safer for pearls and opals and other soft stones. So keep that in mind next time you go to your jeweler.
See you next time on Pendant and Ring.
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