Should valuable silverware be cleaned professionally?

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what is the risk making it at home?


my family have some very old silver item that have been sneaked from iraq under authorities in the 50. but they are much older.


i read about some methods but not sure if to try them.


what do you say?



thanks
 
I useed to do silver smithing. There are cleaers availabe at Walmart, and similar stores that are simply a solution that you place you silver in, let sit for ten minutes or so, and then just rinse off under rinning water. Thes inolvs no abrasive powders, or pastes and removes all of the oxidation, bringing the silver to a
Shine like new. These products are safe, and inexpensive.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
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Also, there are creams, and polishing cloths available from Home Depot, and hardware stores, that again are non abrasive and can be esed on larger pieces. So yes, yuo can safely polish your silver at home.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North
 
Be aware that some intricate silverware patterns rely on some tarnish within the pattern to enhance the design. Using soaking solution will remove that tarnish changing the look of the pattern.


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I made rings with prescios stones, and semi prescious stone, both faceted and cabachons. I made pendants, and bracelets as well. I learned elecrical soldering., and had to do high quality work for the U.S. Navy, and for Lockheed after I got out of the Navy. Pilot's lives dependd on the quality of our solder joints. I took that knowledge and combined it with knolwedge in silver soldering plumbing, and automobile radiators, which I taught myself, and simply used it to learn soldering in jewelry making. My wife had taken classes in silversmithing, and was able to teach me basics for setting cabachons. And attaching the propper pieces together with the appropriate solder grades. Personal research taught me still more. I made rings for all of my adult children, and one very nice jade ring for a friend of the family. I also madea and sold jewelry. It was an interesting hobby.

Seeeeya, Chief Longwind of the North
 
I have a friend who owned a very high-end jewelry store for 40 years and "professionally" polished a myriad of silver pieces (many antiques), along with all kinds of flatware.

He introduced me to Maas metal polish. Changed the world for me because I'm a collector of old silver. It's sooooo easy to use, doesn't have any smell and protects the pieces for a long while. It is also safe to use on items that will be used for eating.

It may seem a little pricey, but a little goes a loooong way.

I buy mine from Amazon. Here's a link to it: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008E0AFS/ref=ask_ql_qh_dp_hza

I've had my can for several years and, believe me, I polish a lot of silver, especially large pieces.
 
Be aware that some intricate silverware patterns rely on some tarnish within the pattern to enhance the design. Using soaking solution will remove that tarnish changing the look of the pattern.


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Agreed. It's not a disaster though. The patina (tarnish) will return and the pattern will be very visible again after a while.

I useed to do silver smithing. There are cleaers availabe at Walmart, and similar stores that are simply a solution that you place you silver in, let sit for ten minutes or so, and then just rinse off under rinning water. Thes inolvs no abrasive powders, or pastes and removes all of the oxidation, bringing the silver to a
Shine like new. These products are safe, and inexpensive.

Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

I used to use that sort of thing for silver jewellery. It does work well. But, I used it on some very tarnished silver and it left marks. The smooth parts were blemished after that.

I inherited a set of antique silver cutlery. I use it all the time. Silver cutlery that gets used a lot doesn't seem to tarnish as fast. I polish it with a paste that I bought at a high end jewellery store that also sells other types of silver items. I don't know that it is any safer for the silver than something like Silvo® Metal Cleaner & Polish. I wouldn't hesitate to use a dip solution on something that is just a bit tarnished, but I will not use a dip solution on any silver with a lot of tarnish again.

I have heard arguments that the dip type is better because, it turns the oxidized silver back into solid silver and the pastes may remove a minute amount of the silver. The idea being that some of the tarnish gets removed without turning back into solid silver.

If it was my badly tarnished, antique silver, I would use a good quality paste silver cleaner and start slowly. I would try on an inconspicuous part of the silver and if that went well, I would work my way up to whole pieces.
 
I am a silverware collector. There are air free collector containers. Silverware fares well stored in velvet bags. Display cases are another matter.

My largest collection (all matching) was found in my backyard buried in the dirt (not too deep).

The more you clean your silverware, the thinner it gets.
 
I am a silverware collector. There are air free collector containers. Silverware fares well stored in velvet bags. Display cases are another matter.

My largest collection (all matching) was found in my backyard buried in the dirt (not too deep).

The more you clean your silverware, the thinner it gets.
I agree that polishing silverware will take off a very small amount of silver and make it thinner. That's why some people prefer the "dip solutions". They turn the tarnish back into silver. But, I will point out two drawbacks about the "dip solutions". 1) They will take also turn the patina that enhances the appearance of fancy patterns back into shiny silver, so the pattern won't show as well. 2) If the silver is very tarnished, while the solution is turning the tarnish back into silver, it may leave weird marks where the tarnish didn't turn back into silver evenly.
 
what is the risk making it at home?


my family have some very old silver item that have been sneaked from iraq under authorities in the 50. but they are much older.


i read about some methods but not sure if to try them.


what do you say?



thanks
Silver qualities vary according to where it was mined etc. You should have it appraised.
 
thank you for the nformation about this
i still don't know if my mother will want to display the items or maybe store.
i personally don't want them because i don't want them being stolen.
they were created by a family member and are very valuable to the family.
in the iraqi jewish meusum in Or Yehuda they have too many silverware items on display i guess.
we are kind of stuck with something of a high value.
 

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