Cleaning a silver chain or sparkle beads

The Essence of Water range of items uses CHAIN as the foundation of the designs. Chain on its own is simple to maintain. However, with the gems that have been included, more care is required to keep your jewellery in good condition.

If the chain includes OPALS, PEARLS or other GEMS, please use a microfibre cloth to clean off the skin oils regularly. You can also use a soft toothbrush, dipped in warm water and organic liquid soap, to gently clean it and remove the skin oils. If possible, do not submerge the whole chain for more than one or two minutes, especially if it includes Opals. Rinse the toothbrush and chain and pat it dry with an absorbent cloth.

If the silver chain is beginning to tarnish, once you have cleaned off the skin oils and cells and dried your jewellery, either use a silver polish cloth or dip the soft toothbrush in white vinegar, or lemon juice, and carefully brush it along the chain or around the bead/s. You can also use approved silver polish products to clean the chain, beads and any wire. Be gentle as you rub: the components are fragile.

Please also be careful to minimise any contact between vinegar, lemon juice or polish and any OPALS or PEARLS that are part of the item.

Once you have worked along the whole chain, and the tarnish has gone, rinse the chain again and pat it dry with an absorbent cloth. Storing silver jewellery in its original box, and also with an anti-tarnish pad, can minimise tarnish.

GOLD does not tarnish but it can become dull with skill oils. Follow the above recommendations and use a gold polish cloth to restore the sparkle of chain or beads.

Sparkle Beads

Some of the jewellery that I make includes SPARKLE BEADS - sterling silver or gold beads that have a lasered/pitted/facetted surface. Maintaining them is a little different to cleaning the plain beads. Here is some simple information to keep them in top sparkle condition:

Use a micro-fibre or other cleaning cloth to gently wipe the beads when you put the jewellery away. A few seconds doing this can save more hours trying to clean them because they have accumulated skin oils, cells and tiny fabric fragments.
Depending on the design of the item - whether it is strung on silk/nylon cord or stainless steel cord - there are some awarenesses to make sure that you don’t compromise the cord. If it is on silk/nylon, please to NOT soak the item in water. Use approved silver polishing products to touch up the beads or send it to me and I’ll clean them for you. You can also follow the instructions above for cleaning chain - the steps are the same.
One alternative to using a toothbrush is a cotton bud: dip one end in your choice of cleaner and gently dab it onto the surface of the beads. Then rub it with the microfibre cloth. Be gentle: the hollow silver and gold beads are fragile. Once you have worked with each bead, rinse the cleaning product off.
Another choice is to use an impregnated cleaning cloth that both cleans and polishes the beads or chain without the need for liquid.

And … enjoy your beautiful piece of jewellery, celebrate the magnificence of you, your body, earth and everything around you. Something changes with the sparkliness of the jewellery when we celebrate it …

Please contact us about cleaning your specific jewellery pieces if you are unsure about anything.