Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

Does anyone know how to clean a silver bracelet that went in a swimming pool? Thanks.

By Kathy from Charleston

Answers: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

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08/18/2010

If it is silver plated it is ruined but if it is sterling silver you can get that stain off with Cream of Tartar and lemon juice. Cream of Tartar is a white powder you can find at the grocery store in the spice rack. Lemon concentrate works if you don't want to buy a lemon. Take a few drops of the juice and about an eighth of a tsp of Cream of Tartar, then just rub on the silver with this mixture and your fingers. It takes a little time but it always works with no scratching of the silver surface. Add lemon juice and cream of tartar as needed to keep a workable amount going. Good luck.

By 08/15/2010

I think a jeweler is your best bet. cleaning with toothpaste and such is fine for dirt but you probably have affected the bracelet in some way with the chlorine from the swimming pool

By 08/14/2010

Take it to a jeweler. They can tell you very quickly whether it is clean-able or beyond help. I did this once and was so delighted with the results that now I take all my jewelry in once a year. The result is a brand new look. Very inexpensive too.

By 08/13/2010

Ditto on toothpaste but be sure it's the the paste kind and not the gel kind. ;-)

By 08/13/2010

Try toothpaste, that's what I clean my silver jewelry with.

By 08/10/2010

If its real silver then try putting vinegar on it, it gets rid of rust, dust, and dirt!

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Questions

Here are questions related to Cleaning a Silver Bracelet.

Bleach Discolored My Silver Bracelet

Can you help me please. I dropped my silver bracelet in bleach and it has gone grey.

Thank you.

By Ian

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Most Recent Answer

By SClay1957 07/12/2011

The same thing just happened to me last week while I was cleaning and thought I damaged my rings from having my hands in bleach water. I did the same thing, I first scrubbed the heck out of the rings with a toothbrush and then remembered that I had a silver cleaning cloth and rubbed them until they were all cleaned up and shiny. :)

Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

I have a silver bracelet with cubic zirconia's that has tarnished. I polished it with Wright's Silver Cleaner, but it still looks dark-ish. More like a stainless steel than a silver color. I have used this cleaner before successfully, so I think the problem is due more to the bracelet than to the cleaner.

Any suggestions?

No hallmarks indicating the type of silver in the bracelet.

Thanks,
Holly

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

Turtle Wax car polish will fix it beautifully. Smear it all over the silver, let it sit for a few minutes, then wipe it off with a rag. The rag will be ruined. (01/04/2006)

By Stone2005

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

You can purchase a bottle of TaRnex liquid at your local Walgreens. I use it for most all of my silver and it works wonderfully. Pour a small amount in a glass cup or container and you may just want to do a small part of the bracelet say the end of it in a bit of the cleaner to make sure it doesn't harm it.I have never used it on zirconias. I would recommend you do it outside as the TaRnex does have an unsavory smell to it. Once the tarnish is gone I would recommend a good silver cream to clean it up. Good luck. cmc (01/05/2006)

By Connie

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

Tarnex works great but just be careful - it can ruin pearls and synthetic stones. Don't dip or soak the jewelry item (use a piece of cotton and wipe it on, then rinse.) I ruined a vintage art nouveau silver pin by leaving it too long in tarnex. (01/12/2006)

By Claudia-MD

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

A jewelry polishing cloth has two sides to it, one side to remove tarnish and one to polish and shine afterwards. You can find them at Wal-Mart and they are inexpensive. (01/13/2006)

By Debbie52

Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

How do you clean a tarnished silver bracelet? I went swimming with it on and it was shiny, but when I was done it was a dark silvery/gray.

Vanessa from Colorado Springs, CO

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

I've used good ole toothpaste. I take an old or new toothbrush and use it only to clean my jewelry. The paste is great for cleaning diamond rings and just about any jewelry, costume or real. Thanks. (09/08/2006)

By Gepe

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

I keep a rouge cloth in my jewelry. Anytime I wear something that is metal I just shine it up with that. (09/08/2006)

By sandy63

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

I tried putting salt in warm water in an aluminum pan. Let it soak for 5 minutes or so, rinse, and wipe. Nice shine. (09/08/2006)

By Beverly

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

Sterling silver is 0.925 silver and the rest a base metal. Fine silver is 0.995 silver. Silver is very reflective and shiny, such as after polishing and drying. Both fine and sterling silver are solid metal; silver plate is layered metal.

Silver should have a silver mark indicating its metal content, using the numbers shown above, stamped in the metal. Silver plate has the imprint of the base metal. British silver plate is marked EPSN, which means electroplate silver nickel. Look for the imprint to tell which kind of metal is in your bracelet. (09/08/2006)

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

Silver is soft. (So is gold.) I would not use toothpaste because toothpaste is abrasive. Once the surface is scratched, there's nothing you can do about it. If you went swimming in chlorinated water, the silver will be permanently pitted from the chlorine and there's nothing you can do to restore the surface. The less and fewer types of chemicals you use and the less time you soak jewelry, the better. Last resort: ask a jeweler if he or she can re-dip it. It's not expensive. (09/09/2006)

By Jantoo

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

I cleaned my shower stall with bleach and my ring looked absolutely awful. I used some baking soda on a wet cloth and it came right off. I then rinsed in white vinegar and boy does it shineain. You might try this. I was heart-sick when I saw what I did. I'll remove all jewelry before I do that again. Good luck. (09/09/2006)

By Nancy

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

I used toothpaste with no problems. Of course I didn't use one that was gritty. (09/09/2006)

By micksgirl

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

Place a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom of a dish or pan, add 1 quart of hot water, 1 tsp of salt, and 1 tsp of water softener (buy in the laundry section of grocery store). Mix and dip your piece in for a minute or so and rinse with cold water and dry with a soft cloth. (09/10/2006)

By Lynda

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works great on silver! (11/30/2007)

By Duck

RE: Cleaning a Silver Bracelet

I had the same experience with a bracelet that I wore swimming in the pool. I bought a jar of silver polishing cream, and put the bracelet in the jar, burying it in the cream. I left it in for 2 days, took it out and rinsed the cream off, and polished it. The really shiny finish was gone, stripped off by the chlorine, but the matte finish I wound up with meant that I could wear the bracelet again. (08/19/2008)

By Jean