Silver and steel accessories are some of the most famous jewellery. They are highly sought after because they offer quality and beauty for a lower price than metals like gold.
Despite being well known and having quality materials in their composition, these accessories can darken if they are not well cared for or end up exposed to non-recommended elements.
That's why we've put together a list of three causes to explain the darkening of your silver or steel jewellery. See below:
- Chemicals
Chemical products such as those used for cleaning, for example, they are quite harmful to the integrity of the accessories. The reason is that these materials often contain ingredients that can react with the metal and damage the piece.
Therefore, to prevent the jewellery from ending up dull or with other damages, it is essential to remove them when handling these products and always keep them out of contact.
- Sweat and cosmetics
As well as cleaning products, cosmetics can also cause damage to accessories due to components. So, it is best to avoid any contact between them.
In addition, sweat can also be an element that causes damage to silver or steel pieces. The problem is caused by uric acid eliminated by people's bodies through sweat, which, when touching the jewellery, can cause darkening.
- Seawater
Another reason for jewelry to darken is contact with seawater. Due to the salt contained in it, the accessories can undergo a corrosion process, in addition to accelerated oxidation.
Therefore, it is recommended not to use silver and steel pieces in sea baths or when there is some contact with salt water.
Finally, it is essential to point out that, although these three situations are potentially causing the jewellery to darken, they do not measure the quality of the pieces and are only recommendations on what to avoid to maintain the integrity of the accessories.
In addition, if the jewellery darkens, there are some cleaning methods to return the piece to its original state. You can check out these cleaning methods on our blog!
