Dear All,
I read Laura’s post about oxidation on her satin finished jewelry
with interest, as I have been having this difficulty lately too. I
will give you all some background.
I’ve worked with gold primarily for the last 15 years. I have
worked with silver occasionally, though not often, as it is not my
metal of choice. This past year we decided to add a low end line of
jewelry to our inventory to help fill out the under $50.00 price
range at the art center where I volunteer once a month. We created
several patterns we pierce out of a silver disc about the size of a
quarter which is then sold as a pendant on a rubber cord. We chose
Argentium silver from Stuller for our material, though the silver
ring at the top is your basic sterling silver, soldered on with
medium silver solder. Instead of a shiny finish, I used a
scotchbrite wheel, which left a nice, even, matte finish.
I decided to take these silver discs to our outdoor art shows as
well. One of the shows was a dismal, gully washing rain day. We
had a canopy, but there was no stopping that sort of rain. The
silver discs got soaked. We packed them into plastic bags and
figured we would dry them out with everything else. When we looked
them over several days latter, they were all spotted, which didn’t
surprise us. We tried dipping them in silver cleaner but that
didn’t work, so I simply ran them quickly over the scotchbrite wheel
again and we were set. By the next show a month later, we had
spots again; yellowish spots this time, that looked a lot like
typical silver tarnish. With the matte finish, we can not simply
wipe it away like on a shiny surface. I refinished them again. Now
we had a show this past weekend; temps were 96 degrees in the shade
with horrible humidity. I was melting ice cubes on the back of my
neck and letting them drip down the back of my dress! The discs had
all been freshly refinished the night before. By midway through the
day, we had tarnished looking discs! Many had actual fingerprints
tarnished on, where someone had touched the disc and left a finger
print behind, which promptly turned yellowish.
So… I’m wondering what best to do here. I worried about the
product I have sold, as I don’t want anyone unsatisfied if I can
help it. I have worn one of these discs off and on for several
months, and I have not had this problem with mine. The ones at the
art center don’t seem to be tarnishing to any degree either. I’m
guessing that the matte finish is perhaps holding more “dirt” than a
smooth finish would, and that this “dirt” from skin oils and such is
reacting to the hot, humid weather. I could be wrong, and I’m open
to suggestions as to cause and for solutions. Perhaps I could try
the anti-tarnish strips available from suppliers, though that won’t
help when they are out hanging on display. I don’t want to apply a
laquer type finish, as that always comes back to bite you in the
end. I was hoping the Argentium Silver would prevent this problem,
but perhaps it is not the silver itself but the finish that is the
problem?
They are a great pricepoint, but gold is certainly less maintenance.
Any comments?
Thanks.
Brenda
Nesheim Fuller Design
Mason City, Iowa, where we have traded our upper 90’s with high
humidity for a crisp, clean 70 degree day.