Everyone at least once in my life came across a situation where silver plaques with a time appeared black raid. Of course, you can get rid of it by brushing silver with tooth powder, paste or wiping with a special solution, but why does it appear at all? Why do black jewelry on the human body turn black?
- Chemical interaction
- Health problems
- If the cross is dull
- Care instructions
Chemical interaction
If we consider the blackening in terms of chemical processes, silver, like many other metals, is susceptible to oxidation. The whole "secret" of blackening is the interaction of silver with another chemical element - sulfur. It is found in human sweat, water, air and cosmetics.
First, a thin gray film appears on the silver product after interaction with sulfur, and after a while it darkens.
The darkening of silver and the speed of this process also depends on the composition of the jewelry. To create jewelry, neither gold nor silver is used in its pure form, since these metals are very soft and easily deformable. That is why various metals are added to the alloy, for example, platinum, gold, copper, zinc and others. And the less in the composition of pure silver, the more it is susceptible to oxidation.
The world accepted share of silver in alloys for the manufacture of jewelry is 92.5%, that is, the 925-th test we are accustomed to. Such an alloy is optimally suited for making jewelry and at the same time is slightly oxidized.
In addition, silver can very quickly blacken after contact with various household chemicals or products, such as onions, salt, raw eggs.
If you want to buy a chain, bracelet, ringlet or other jewelry that would not be oxidized at all, you should pay attention to the models covered with rhodium. Thanks to this substance, the decoration will not only not darken, but will also please with its unique bright shine. However, such a coating can be erased after a few years, and also split off or scratched by negligent handling of the decoration.
to the table of contents ^Health problems
People have an opinion that silver jewelry turns black on a man who is sick with something, and there is some truth in such conversations. What does it mean? As noted above, silver oxidizes from interaction with sweat a person who contains sulfur. The more it is, the stronger the decoration will become darker.
Sweating is a natural process that is characteristic of a healthy body. That is, in itself blackening of ornaments can not speak about any problems with health. However, if it is noticeable that the decorations darken much faster than usual, and sweating has intensified against the background of some pain in the body, it may be worthwhile to undergo a medical examination. It is worth watching the state of your body to make sure that the darkening of the silver does not indicate a developing disease. Of course, increased sweating is not always a sign of illness. This phenomenon can be observed during physical exertion, during periods of stress or nervous tension. Another of the most common causes of darkening of jewelry on the background of increased sweating are hormonal bursts.
There is an opinion that such a reaction of the body with silver can occur due to kidney or liver diseases, however, this judgment does not have scientific confirmation. Therefore, do not once again wind yourself and worry, it is better to think about how the lifestyle, care for the body, new creams or cosmetics have been added recently.
Some medications may also affect the darkening of silver. They can change the composition of sweat, which is reflected in silver by blackening.
to the table of contents ^If the cross
has darkenedIf the silver cross or any other favorite decoration has darkened, do not get upset. There are many ways to get rid of a specific touch:
- Special tools for cleaning silver products. You can buy them not only in jewelry stores( where the price will be several times higher), but also in ordinary stores that sell household chemicals. The label has a simple and detailed instructions for use. However, if you find such a tool is problematic, you can use home methods.
- Ammonia alcohol quickly and qualitatively removes the plaque from silver, but it is necessary to act not with pure ammonia, but with its solution with water in the ratio of 1 tablespoon to half a liter of water. To accelerate the cleansing process, as well as to give shine, a little bit of soap and hydrogen peroxide is added to the resulting solution.
- A strong remedy for a black coating is soda. It is enough to dilute it in water and dip it into the solution for a few minutes, then rub it well. There is another way to purify silver with soda, but this will still require foil. It is necessary to bring to a boil a soda solution with water, and then throw in it an ordinary foil, crumpled into small balls. After that, you can remove the resulting solution from the fire and put decorations in it. In a few minutes they will be completely transformed! But to use for cleaning jewelry soda powder is not recommended, because they after the procedure will remain noticeable scratches.
- For cleaning the silver is suitable and the usual dining room 6% vinegar, which is found in the household of any woman. It is enough to moisten a soft napkin in it and carefully wipe the blackened ornaments.
- The carbonated water "Kola" also works well on a black film. You can leave decorations in it for a few hours, but the boiling process will shorten the aging time of the product to just a few minutes.
Recommendations for care
To have jewelry from silver lasted long, you need to take care of them properly. First of all, do not forget that these are delicate items, which require a careful and careful attitude:
- You do not need to wear jewelry constantly, without taking pictures at night. Of course, many people are used to wearing crosses or rings "save and save" around the clock, but doing sports( with increased sweating), cleaning, cooking and other processes can significantly spoil the appearance of jewelry.
- It is also recommended to remove silver items before applying cosmetics to the skin.
- Do not spray the perfume on the jewelry.
- It is necessary to store the silver in a special box, lined inside with a soft fleecy fabric.
- If the product has stones, care is required and them. Such decorations should be wiped with a soft cloth, which will not leave a microcuria on the surface.
If these simple rules are observed, jewelry will retain its beauty in its original form for many, many years, and they can be safely passed on!
Marina, good afternoon! I have the same situation as you. And you did not try to find out why? I just wore silver in my childhood, not taking it off, and it did not turn black. And now it's getting dark the day before the pitch black shade( (with the ceiling is all right, I can not understand the reason. .
I have a silver set of a ring, a bracelet, earrings and a chain with a pendant. I wear all the items at the same time, and I noticed that the bracelet and the chain are getting darker. Periodically she cleaned the products with ammonia. And recently I bought a special tool for cleaning silver. It not only cleans well from the already formed blackness, but also forms a film on its surface, which prevents blackening - as stated in the instructions to the remedy. And really: my jewelry began to not so quickly blacken.
I wear silver only for some occasion and when I come home I immediately take pictures. It gets dark almost instantly. And the husband, on the contrary, can not remove the chain with a cross and the color does not change at all. I clean the silver usually with ammonia. Just pour a glass of diluted ammonia and leave the jewelry for the night. In the morning I wash with water and they are as good as new.