How to Care for Argentium Silver Jewelry

Argentium Silver is an alloy of silver that is highly tarnish resistant.  Jewelry metals are often alloyed, or mixed with other metals, to improve their qualities (like their color or durability).  Argentium Silver is hypoallergenic for many people, has a beautiful shiny luster, is low maintenance, and has a high tarnish resistance.  If you have ever had to polish sterling silver, you can appreciate this fact.

A proactive care tip for your Argentium Silver jewelry is to apply the “last on, first off” strategy.  Only put it on after you have done your hair and makeup and take it off first thing when you arrive back home.  This will prevent beauty products (like hair spray, perfumes, lotions, and others) from building up on the shiny surface.  Also, in order to avoid damage to your Argentium Silver jewelry, remove it prior to entering swimming pools / hot tubs or other places it may come into contact with chemicals.

Cleaning your Argentium Silver jewelry is recommended for hygienic reasons as well as to remove any build up and return its shiny surface.  It is very simple and requires materials you may already have at home.  Please note: if your Argentium Silver jewelry also has gemstones, pearls, or crystals, it is not advised to submerge the pieces into water or to soak them.  

Instructions for Cleaning Argentium Silver Jewelry

Here’s what you’ll need:

• Two soft cloths
• A small bowl
• Warm water
• Dishwashing soap (like Dawn)
• Optional: Silver Polishing Cloth (like Goddard’s Long Term Silver Cloths or Tiffany & Co. Mitts)

Directions:

1. For Argentium Silver jewelry with gemstones / pearls, use a clean, dry soft cloth to gently wipe away any dirt / build-up / smudges on the surfaces of any gemstones or pearls on your Argentium Silver jewelry.  Use the soft cloth to wipe over the Argentium Silver surfaces, and if the jewelry piece looks shiny and clean, you are finished and may skip to Step 6.
2. Fill the small bowl with warm water and add dishwashing soap. Mix the soap into the warm water.
3. For Argentium Silver jewelry with gemstones / pearls / crystals, dip the cloth into the soapy water and use it to gently scrub and wash the Argentium Silver parts of the jewelry taking care not to get the soapy water on the gemstones / pearls.  For Argentium Silver jewelry that doesn't have any gemstones / pearls / crystals, place the jewelry into the soapy water and leave it to soak for a few minutes before using the soft cloth to gently scrub the surfaces.
4. Rinse your soft cloth and wipe the soapy Argentium Silver surfaces clear of any soapy water.
5. Immediately dry the Argentium Silver surfaces of the jewelry with the second soft cloth to avoid water marks being left behind.
6. Optionally, you may use a clean silver polishing cloth every now and then to help maintain Argentium Silver’s luster and shine. (Please make sure the polishing cloth is soft and clean otherwise it could damage the surface luster of the Argentium Silver.  Do not use “dip” polish on Argentium Silver.)
7. Enjoy! Repeat this process as needed every so often to keep your Argentium Silver jewelry looking beautiful and to keep your ear piercings clean and feeling good.

If you would like to learn more about what metals are in Argentium Silver, visit our Materials page.  If you suspect you may be having a reaction to your Argentium Silver jewelry, you can also explore other materials there to decide which material to try instead.  Niobium or Titanium are good alternatives.