The authoritative public forum
  for Metal Finishing since 1989
-----

Old Silver Ring that STAYS Tarnished

2005

Hello All

I purchased a vintage silver ring as a gift for my sister. Inside the band it is simply stamped "silver" (not sterling or .925) It was pretty yellowed so I tried to clean it with standard silver polish. That made it appear a little less yellow. So then I cleaned it with a jewelers cloth (red rouge). That shined it up a bit but did nothing to decrease the yellowness.

My question pertains to why I cannot remove the yellow and how can I, if at all possible. Is it possible that there is some other metal mixed into the silver? Or is there some other kind or grade of silver other than sterling .925? What could be causing the yellowing?

Thanks so very much!

Danielle Russell
- Riviera, Texas

---

Silver Anti-tarnish Strips on eBay or Amazon (affil links) "Silver" is not very descriptive. All silver jewelery has some other metals present as alloying elements; it would be too soft if it were 100% pure. 900 alloy (90% silver) is common in Europe, and is definitely yellower in color tha USA sterling. You could have it overplated with pure, white, silver. Jeffrey Holmes, CEF Spartanburg, South Carolina 2005 2005 Hi Danielle, Well, it sure sounds as if you have been taken to the cleaners ... maybe, a LONG time ago, maybe it was silvered but it sure sounds like brass to me. Try some brass polish ! Coming to think of it, maybe it was Sheffield plate ... whereby they heat rolled a macro thin silver onto brass ... we have some candlesticks like that.... and the brass is showing through .... this is what they did in Ye Olden Days in Britain way before plating, as we now know it, was done. Sorry ... Freeman Newton [deceased] (It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).

---

2005

Yellow silver is often a feature of the silver having been heated at some point. I work with silver a lot and often people who are watching are puzzled to see the silver assume a gold colour when heated. It will change colours just like other metals do when heated and sometimes the colour stays and you end up with silver that looks like brass or gold.

Cure:

1.Dip the silver into a saturated solution of isopropyl alcohol ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] and boric acid ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] .

2. Hold silver with a tweezers and set the alcohol on fire -this leaves a coating of fine white boracic acid on the silver once the alcohol has burned off.

3. Place the silver on a charcoal block or a fire brick surface if you do not have charcoal.

4. Heat the silver with a propane torch until just turning dull red. (Do this in a darkened room) You do not want to get it too hot or risk melting any solder joints in the ring.

5. Immediately quench the silver, dropping it back in the alcohol boracic acid solution, holding it there until it stops bubbling then just a little longer until a sudden final spurt of bubbles happens.

6. The ring will now appear reddish or white depending on the heat you submerged it at.

7. Pickle the ring in a weak solution of sodium bisulphite (Sparex) and water. You can leave it this mixture until the ring turns white.

8. Polish on a felt wheel with brown tripoli buffing compound ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] then on a chamois leather buffing wheel or a piece of chamois ⇦[this on eBay or Amazon affil links] with jeweler's rouge ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] .

You should end up with a silver colour and a mirror-like shine if done correctly.

Any jeweler that actually makes and repairs jewelry can do the above for you.

Good luck

William Bell
- Fernie, B.C., Canada

Please don't try and remove the coating! You've got a vintage - probably 1930s - silver ring that's been over plated with gold. This was very very common indeed.

Fran Mack
- London England
September 9, 2011