In most cultures jewelery can be understood as a status symbol, for its material properties, its patterns, or for its meaningful symbols. Throughout time jewelry has been worn for/as:
- functional, generally to fix clothing or keep hair in place
- as a marker of social status such as class rings, and personal status, as with a wedding ring.
- as a signifier of some form of affiliation, whether ethnic, religious or social
- to provide talismanic protection, in the form of amulets and fetishes
- as an artistic display
- as a symbol of personal meaning – such as love, mourning, a personal milestone or even luck.
DIY STERLING SILVER CLEANER
Instead of paying your hard earned money on store bought Silver cleaner that has chemicals, just grab some Baking Soda, Toothpaste & an old toothbrush.
Easy peasy!
How much time you spend will depend on the amount of tarnish, but it takes about the same time as the commercial kind. You'll know when your done... no more black stuff!
I actually think this cleans better than the store stuff, and it feels better not having to put your Silver and hand in the harsh chemicals many have.
I do use a polishing cloth on my Vintage Sterling that I sell. Right before I send a piece out I will give it a nice polish. I use an excellent brand called "Sunshine Cloth" that I purchase through Rio Grande, a great company that I purchase a lot of my tools and supplies from. I use the original yellow one. It works so much better than any of the others I've tried.
Sunshine Cloth from Riogrande.com
On jewelry that has stones, I don't clean them. Some gemstones like Turquoise are very soft and absorbent so you want to be careful what you put on it.