Despite the fact that gold-plated jewelry is not made of pure gold, it always looks elegant and aristocratic, emphasizing the good taste of its owner. But in order for such products to always have a bright appearance and not fade, they need to be properly looked after and cleaned in a timely manner.
How is gilded silver produced? Why does gold plating turn black?
The coating has a minimum thickness of no more than 2 microns. This opportunity became possible thanks to the development of a technology called electroplating. In this case, the product is immersed in the solution along with a fragment of gold. When an electric current is passed, yellow metal ions are electrodeposited onto the silver. This is facilitated by the correct choice of electrolyte. Previously, a cyanide solution was used. However, it causes great harm and contains a dangerous substance. Later the method was improved and a non-cyanide electrolyte was used.
The standard of silver with gilding does not change. For example, if you need to coat a 925 alloy, then even after electrodeposition of yellow metal ions, the main characteristics remain the same. The standard of gold-plated silver is 925. But the coating protects the jewelry from tarnishing only for a limited period. Causes of blackness:
- contact with sweat due to illness, taking medications, excessive physical activity;
- exposure to cosmetics and detergents;
- violation of storage rules - in a room with high humidity;
- damage: where there are scratches, patina appears on the silver faster.
Minimum mechanical damage
The thickness of the “golden” layer on the surface of the jewelry depends on the technology of its application. Most often we are talking about galvanic coating. This is an electrochemical method of applying a metal film under the influence of an electric current: metal ions “stick” to the surface of the product.
The thickness of the galvanic coating is measured in microns. One micron is one millionth of a meter, or one thousandth of a millimeter. In other words, about a thousand particles with a diameter of 1 micron will fit on the tip of a human hair.
The thickness of the coating is selected taking into account the operating characteristics of the product. If this is a decorative item that rarely comes into contact with hands, there is no need to cover it with a thick layer of gold. For most jewelry, a coating thickness of 0.2-0.5 mm is used.
This means that the risk of damaging the gold plate under strong mechanical stress is very high. Scratches and dents on the surface will be even more noticeable if there is metal in a contrasting color underneath the gold plating.
Conclusion: do not wear gold-plated bracelets and necklaces in layers, several at a time. If they constantly come into contact with each other, they will quickly lose their original luster. Store gold-plated jewelry in a bag or cloth bag separately from other items.
Which silver to choose to clean less often
Ag is a soft metal that quickly loses its original shape and color. It needs to be carefully looked after, often polished and cleaned of dirt. To reduce costs (time, physical), different methods are used. One of them is gilding, but even in this case, the silver can darken in areas where the coating has become thinner.
It is recommended to choose a precious metal with the least amount of ligature. For this, alloys 925 and 960 are considered.
The absence of identifying marks on gold-plated silver most often indicates that the product is of poor quality. Most likely it's costume jewelry. It will quickly lose its shape. This kind of thing won't last long. But sometimes the absence of a sample indicates that the product has been repaired. You can determine whether a piece of jewelry is worthy of attention by contacting a jeweler.
Advantages and disadvantages
Each potential consumer, before purchasing a particular product, must evaluate all its advantages and disadvantages . Gilding may raise doubts among many, so let’s talk in detail together about the pros and cons of such products.
Their advantages include the following factors:
- almost impossible to distinguish from gold ones;
- gilding, with proper care and use, lasts quite a long time;
- affordability - the cost of gold-plated products is much lower than those made of precious metal;
- excellent appearance;
- does not cause allergic reactions;
- lightness - thanks to the composition, the jewelry is not heavy at all, it is easy and comfortable to wear;
- have excellent properties;
- can be reconstructed - if the coating peels off, it can be re-coated with a layer of gold, choosing any color;
- The product can be engraved.
No matter how many advantages there are, there are also disadvantages. And speaking of disadvantages, it is worth noting the following.
- Gold-plated jewelry must be worn correctly and its condition must be constantly monitored. The thing is that over time they wear off and the golden layer peels off.
- The products have a distinctive shine, which is not typical for jewelry made of precious metal. This parameter helps to distinguish gilding from real gold.
- Such jewelry or, for example, dishes require special care.
- Since gilding is in trend today, and such products are often bought, there were also those who decided to make money from this in a not very honest way. There are quite a lot of fakes on the modern market that are difficult for a person who does not understand precious metals to distinguish from the original.
How to clean gilding on silver so that it does not peel off. Preparing your jewelry for cleaning
Products with complex configurations (watches, bracelets, chains) are best disassembled if possible. It is advisable to perform such actions if there are pendants. They are removed because in the areas where the links are attached, the coating is darker first (subject to mechanical stress). Then they continue preparing for cleaning, because you need to remove greasy stains and dust:
- processing with lint-free rags, using microfiber, flannel: the dry method is welcome, but most often surface dirt cannot be removed, so it is permissible to slightly moisten the rag;
- applying alcohol or turpentine - this method is used if there are difficult stains on the gilded silver.
Cleaning gold-plated silver
Javel water and protein
Another effective remedy to help clean gold-plated items. Javel water can be purchased in specialized stores or marked as “White”. The sequence of actions is as follows:
- beat 1 egg white - with a fork, whisk or mixer;
- add 1.5 tbsp to it. l. "Whiteness" or Javel water;
- Place the decoration into the resulting thick mixture;
- gently rub the product with a sponge;
- rinse.
Important!
You should work with gloves to avoid damaging the skin of your hands.
Table: semi-professional cleaning products. Price
There are a fairly large number of products that have been developed to preserve the appearance of jewelry. You need to consider not only ways to clean gold plate at home, but also choose products from the range of products for cleaning jewelry:
| Drug name | Cost, rub. |
| Unicum | 230 |
| Alladin | 380 |
| HG | 860 |
| Beilliance-Connoisseurs | 300 |
These preparations can be used to clean jewelry purchased on the Sokolov website or any other, as well as those made tens and hundreds of years ago (during the times of the USSR or Tsarist Russia).
Jewelry cleaning products
Why methods for silver and gold are not suitable
Silver, gold and precious metal plating are materials with different properties. Even gold plating can behave differently than gold, which is due to the small thickness of the surface layer, a combination with Ag. When products designed for one type of metal are used for other purposes, they often damage the jewelry.
You should choose universal semi-professional products; the label should indicate that the product is suitable for cleaning gold and silver.
Soap, Vaseline and chalk
The procedure is simple.
- Take 1 tbsp. l. Vaseline, chalk, water and pre-grated laundry soap.
- Using a soft cloth, gold-plated products are carefully coated with this composition. You can’t rub it, you just need to apply the product to the surface.
- Wait 10 minutes.
- Rinse the items and rub them with suede.
If you strictly follow the recommendations, the method is completely safe. The chalk must be thoroughly crushed to a powdery state.
How to clean gold-plated silver at home quickly and effectively with stones
Most available products are usually recommended for cleaning certain products. If there is a stone on the jewelry (pearl, emerald, cubic zirconia, etc.), so that it does not become cloudy, but shines, such items should not be soaked or cleaned with soda. Toothpaste, boiling water, as well as acids and alkalis are other options that can harm inserts on jewelry. If you are choosing a method for cleaning gold-plated silver, you should consider the most suitable options:
- soap solution: detergent is dissolved in warm liquid, a silver item with gold plated is rubbed with the product, then rinsed with water;
- semi-professional special preparations: when choosing, you should read the composition; in the case when you need to clean jewelry with stones from darkening, you need to consider not only products for silver and gold (universal), first of all, purchase those of them whose label says that it is acceptable care for stones on jewelry.
Lemon acid
It’s easy to prepare a composition that helps clean homemade gold-plated silver items.
- Pour ½ liter of water into an enamel pan.
- Add a packet of citric acid (15 g) to it.
- Place the container on the fire and bring to a boil.
- Place decorations in boiling liquid.
- Boil them for 15-20 minutes.
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Next, the products must be cooled and rinsed. This method is suitable for cleaning tarnished jewelry and gold-plated cutlery.
How to clean a gold plated watch
Gentle methods:
- dry cleaning - done with a lint-free cloth;
- wet processing - you need to soak a cotton pad in water, remove excess water, rinse the watch case;
- toothpaste - apply only to a flat surface, as it can get between the links of the bracelet, from where the product will be difficult to remove.
When none of the methods help, polish the watch using WD40 lubricant.
Gold plated watch
Preliminary stage
First, rinse the product under the tap and wipe it with a soft cloth or cotton pad. Then do one of the following:
- Prepare a solution of 1 liter of water and 2 tbsp. l. table vinegar. Place the item in a container with this liquid for 15–20 minutes.
- Soak a cotton pad in rubbing alcohol and wipe the surface several times.
Note! If the product has just begun to fade, you can do without preliminary actions.
Question-answer section
Is gold-plated silver jewelry?
Expert opinion
Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich
Jeweler 6th category
If the product is made of noble metal, it cannot be considered costume jewelry. Such jewelry is considered precious because it is most often made from 925 sterling jewelry alloy.
What to do if the gold plating peels off after cleaning?
Expert opinion
Grishanov Mikhail Petrovich
Jeweler, director of the Grishanov and Co. workshop
Gradually, the yellow coating wears off, and silver appears in some places. This is a reason to contact a jeweler to restore the surface layer. If such a result is a consequence of improper cleaning, it is still possible to save the item. The jeweler will remove the remaining coating and apply a new layer.
How expensive does a jeweler's cleaning service cost?
Expert opinion
Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich
Jeweler 6th category
Much depends on the region and the prices of the master himself. The type of product and type of metal are also taken into account. Taking into account the initial data, the jeweler chooses a method for cleaning the item. But most often the cost of such a service is 200-300 rubles.
How to clean gold-plated spoons from blackness at home?
Expert opinion
Andrey Seleznev
Chemist-technologist, Volgograd
Items with a smooth surface (like cutlery) are easiest to clean using toothpaste, but this will take time. When deciding how to care for gold-plated silver, choose a soap solution and turpentine. Even ammonia, saline and soda solutions will do. The latter options are even preferable, since all contaminated items can be soaked in a liquid solution.
Gold-plated silver cutlery
How to clean a gold plated chain, a gift from my husband?
Expert opinion
Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich
Jeweler 6th category
It is recommended to use solutions. Paste-like substances may remain in areas of complex configuration, since the gold-plated chain has many links. It is permissible to use a product based on ammonia, soda, salt, beer. Protein and toothpaste are not the best choice in this case.
Is 925 gold plated silver erasable or not?
Expert opinion
Andrey Seleznev
Chemist-technologist, Volgograd
Any coating tends to become thinner and disappear over time. This also applies to gilding. Its thickness is 1-2 microns. This is a small value, so it is not recommended to frequently subject the product to mechanical stress.
Gilded silver earrings with diamonds, how to wash them?
Expert opinion
Grishanov Mikhail Petrovich
Jeweler, director of the Grishanov and Co. workshop
Stones in jewelry are almost always cleaned with mild detergents (soap solution). However, a diamond is hard, and therefore it is permissible to remove contaminants using fine powders. But they can accidentally damage the gilding, so you should still choose pastes or solutions.
Methods for cleaning gold plating
An important rule when cleaning such products is to never use abrasive substances. The layer of gold plating can be very thin, and if you clean the product with soda powder, toothpaste or chalk, the plating may not be detected later.
If the contamination is light and radical cleaning is not required, then a small piece of suede will come to the rescue. Suede is a soft material that will not damage the coating and copes well with dirt.
But if it happens that suede is powerless against darkening and stains, then the following recipes will definitely help restore the previous appearance of silver, leaving the gilding in the same place.
The first thing to do before cleaning is to degrease the silver with alcohol or soapy water. It is necessary to degrease both jewelry and interior items and dishes made of gilded silver.
Now you can start cleaning.
Table vinegar 9%
Dissolve 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a liter of water and soak the product in the resulting solution for 15 minutes. Afterwards, it must be rinsed in clean water and rubbed with suede or woolen cloth.
You can use a more concentrated solution: dilute 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a glass of water and rub the product with a sponge, cloth or cotton pad soaked in it, rinse with water and dry.
Coca-Cola
The well-known drink Coca-Cola copes well with pollution. By soaking jewelry or dishes in it for 30 minutes, you can easily get rid of stains and dirt on silver without damaging the plating. The fact is that Coca-Cola contains phosphoric acid, which cleans silver of contaminants.
Chicken egg)
By using egg white, you can not only rid the product of dirt, but also restore it to its former shine. To do this, you need to separate the yolk from the white and wipe the surface to be cleaned with a soft cloth; it is better to use flannel soaked in white.
Egg yolk and bleaching agents: Domestos or Belizn are excellent for cleaning silver. Add 1 tablespoon of bleach to the beaten yolk, mix thoroughly and clean the gold-plated objects with a sponge dipped in this solution. Be sure to use gloves to protect your hands, and rinse the products thoroughly under running water and dry.
Ammonia (ammonia)
2 teaspoons of ammonia diluted in 1 liter of water is not only a silver cleaner, but also an antistatic agent. Gilded objects treated with this solution will become clean, shiny, and dust will not settle on their surface. If green spots appear on the product, you can add 1 teaspoon of soap shavings to the ammonia solution.
Beer (dark)
You can leave the products in dark beer for 30 minutes. After this, wash it with clean water and dry well. Beer gently removes tarnish and stains, so it can be used for regular cleaning of gold-plated silver items.
Wine spirit or wine vinegar
By saturating a sponge with any of these products, you can get rid of dirt on gold-plated silver. After cleaning, rinse the product with water and wipe with flannel, suede or woolen cloth.
Recommendations for the care and storage of gold-plated silver jewelry
Tips to help increase the service life of gold-plated jewelry:
- they should not be stored in a room with high humidity;
- you need to keep gold-plated items away from heat sources;
- you cannot wear such things while jogging or playing sports in the gym;
- if you plan to cook food, you should also remove gold-plated items;
- It is recommended to keep jewelry of this type separately from the rest in a closed case or box;
- Jewelry is cared for using the dry or wet cleaning method.
Rules for caring for gold-plated products: 5 tips
In order for gold-plated products to please you with their appearance longer, it is important to properly care for them during use and avoid heavy contamination.
- After each use, gold-plated dishes, jewelry or interior items must be wiped with a soft cloth, for example: suede, flannel, felt, wool. This will protect it from premature darkening and staining.
- When visiting a pool, bathhouse and other procedures where the product may come into contact with water for a long time, it is better to remove it: due to contact with water, it may darken. It is also recommended to remove silver when visiting the gym.
- Store items made of gilded silver in an individual bag in a casket or box: with this storage they will not be scratched against each other and will be protected from excessive humidity and sunlight (this also causes the silver to darken).
- You cannot store gold plated in the bathroom. Due to elevated temperatures and humidity, the coating darkens and spots appear on it.
- It is very important not to expose your jewelry to cosmetics and perfumes. Therefore, it is better to put on jewelry after the creams have been completely absorbed.
By following these tips, you can preserve the original appearance of your jewelry and interior items for a long time. The more careful you treat them, the longer they last and delight their owners.
