Can I Wear My Silver Jewelry at the Beach and Other Questions About Silver Jewelry

Silver bracelets, silver rings, silver earrings – silver jewelry is gorgeous with just about anything you want to wear. Its lower price makes handmade silver jewelry more popular than gold jewelry, and its versatility means that you can wear your silver pieces with everything from shorts and a t-shirt to a formal gown. On the other hand, many people are a little afraid of buying silver jewelry because they’ve heard that it’s prone to tarnish and must be cared for in certain ways. To that, lovers of silver jewelry say, “Bah!” The fact is that silver earrings, silver chains and other types of silver finery are no more delicate than any other kind of jewelry. Here are the answers to some of the questions you might have about wearing and caring for your silver.

Can I Wear My Silver Jewelry at the Beach?

Silver chains around your waist, silver rings for your toes and silver anklets may be the perfect accent for your tanned and bikini-clad body, but you do need to make a few concessions here. Silver is soft and scratches easily, so be careful exposing it to harsh sand. Seawater can contain minerals and elements that may darken your silver (so does chlorine, by the way, so don’t wear your silver in the pool, either) so slip off your silver charms and earrings before you dive into the drink.

Will Silver Turn My Skin Green or Black?

Not usually – especially not if it’s .995 sterling silver, which is 99.5 percent pure. Very few people react badly to silver metal, but silver is so soft that it’s nearly always combined with another metal before it’s made into jewelry. If it’s combined with copper or nickel, your skin may darken or take on a green tint where the metal touches it. That’s because your body’s chemicals interact with the metal. It will generally wash off easily. If you know that your skin reacts to silver jewelry with discoloration, you can try painting the insides of silver rings or silver bracelets with clear nail polish to prevent it.

My Silver Pendant Is Dull and Discolored. Is It Ruined?

It’s probably just a little tarnished, and that’s easy to fix. The best way to deal with tarnish on silver jewelry is to buff the piece with a silver jeweler’s cloth, which will polish away the tarnish and discoloration. You can also try soaking it for a short time in a bowl lined with aluminum foil and filled with salt water.

Silver jewelry is far too pretty and versatile to avoid wearing it because you think it’s hard to take care of – especially since it’s not true. In fact, the best thing you can do for your silver jewelry is to wear it frequently – so enjoy!

Tips on Wearing Your Silver Jewelry for Summer Style

It’s summer time and if you haven’t brought your silver jewelry out of hiding yet, it’s a great time to do it now! Silver jewelry looks great any time of year, but silver bracelets, silver earrings and silver chains look especially shimmery and gorgeous against your sun-kissed glow. Make the most of your silver finery this summer with these tips for wearing and caring for your silver jewelry this summer.

Clean Your Silver

If you’ve had your silver bracelets and other silver jewelry tucked away for a while, it may need to be cleaned up and polished before it looks its best. Avoid using harsh jewelry cleaners, especially if the piece you want to clean is set with any gemstones. Your best bet for removing tarnish and discoloration is to gently clean each piece with a silver jewelers’ cloth. They’re inexpensive and easy to find, but if you don’t have one and are just dying to put those silver chains on right away, try this method.

Dissolve several tablespoons of ordinary table salt in hot water. Line a small bowl with aluminum foil. Pour the water into the foil-lined bowl. Place your silver jewelry into the water bath and let it sit for several minutes. Most tarnish will dissolve. If there are stubborn spots, gently rub them with a clean, soft cloth. Rinse the jewelry with clear water. Dispose of the salt water down the drain. Your silver jewelry should be sparkly, shimmery clean.

Remove Your Silver Jewelry Before Swimming

Swimming and silver jewelry don’t mix. Chlorine and salt water can both damage silver so remove your silver bracelets, silver rings and other silver jewelry before you take a dip.

Silver Earrings

Turn heads with long, dangly silver earrings or gold leaf jewelry if you’re fairly tall and have a long neck. Silver looks stunning against tanned shoulders, so break out those shimmery silver chains and dangly earrings for the summer. If you’re shorter than average, pick silver studs or earrings that are no more than an inch or two long.

Silver Bracelets

Tanned arms show off silver in a way that nothing else does, so bare your arms and slip on some silver bangles, silver tennis bracelets or a gorgeous silver cuff bracelet worn high on your arm.

Silver Pendants

Go on, highlight that sun-kissed throat and cleavage with silver chains and silver pendants. They’re the perfect accent to wear with deep V-neck and U-neck tank tops and sleeveless summer dresses.

Summer is the time to get out your silver and shine. Wear it and enjoy it – it’s the best thing you can do to keep your silver jewelry looking great.