Traditional Methods of Cleaning and Polishing Silver

Silver tends to tarnish rapidly losing its shine and brilliance. As it tarnishes,it turns dull,then yellowish and finally grey. Cleaning silver is easy but care should be taken as it's soft and rubs off easily.Here are some traditional methods of cleaning silver:

• Rubbing with a Jeweller's Rouge:

Wash your silver goods(including jewellery and ornaments) in warm water with some washing liquid or detergent. Rinse and dry well with a kitchen towel or paper. Then rub on jeweller's rouge with a soft cloth or cheesecloth. Brush off the rouge with a small dry brush. Finally rub with chamois leather tor restore the shine.

• Cleaning with Silver Cream:

Silver creams are readily available in the market. Use a proprietary silver cream to rub it all over the surface.Use a small brush if necessary. Leave for a while and then rub off with a clean brush. Finally use chamois leather or a soft cloth to wipe the surface and restore the shine.

• Using French Chalk and Ammonia:

Mix together ammonia and French chalk. Apply on your jewellery or ornaments using a soft cloth or brush,working into the crevices and engraved surfaces.Allow to dry and then remove with a clean brush and as with above methods, finally polish with chamois leather or soft cloth.