Nelson & Nelson Antiques

5 Sterling Silver Cleaning Mistakes To Avoid

August 3, 2022 10:28 am

Antiques : Decorative Art : Metals : Silver : Sterling

Caring for sterling silver comes with plenty of rules. It’s a delicate metal that needs gentle handling when being cleaned or polished. Let’s explore five cleaning mistakes to avoid when caring for sterling silver.

Letting Silver Touch the Stainless Steel Sink

One big no-no when you’re cleaning sterling silver is to allow the silver to touch your stainless steel sink. You want to avoid mixing them because stainless steel is a tough metal and sterling silver is significantly softer. Steel could scratch or dent your silver if you’re not careful.

One way to alleviate the issue is to lay a towel at the bottom of the sink. The towel provides a barrier between the steel and sterling silver.

Attempting a Quick Polishing Hack

It’s a good idea to avoid quick polishing hacks for your sterling silver. Tactics that instruct you to place your silver in a container with aluminum foil and baking soda will remove the oxidation built up over time. You’ll see yellow stains replace the oxidation. You don’t want your sterling silver to appear yellow.

Polishing or Cleaning With Abrasive Measures

When polishing and cleaning your sterling silver holloware, a 100 percent cotton cloth should be your best friend. Silver is a highly malleable metal; therefore, utilizing any other cloths, sponges, or toothbrushes could ruin your silver. You don’t want scratched silver.

Doubling Time and Effort With Ineffective Polish

Picking up a polish from the store seems easy, but this could lead to more time and effort spent polishing your silver. Avoid this wasted time by finding polishes and products that work efficiently. Cleaning should never be quick, but you shouldn’t need to use a ton of elbow grease either.

Not Cleaning Your Silver Immediately After Use

If you use a sterling silver platter or sterling silver silverware during a party, be sure to clean them right after use. It doesn’t take long for salt, mayonnaise, eggs, and acidic dressings to tarnish your silver. Make a note not to soak your silver in water. Don’t hesitate to clean any dishes or silverware.

Follow the above advice to avoid mistakes when cleaning sterling silver. Your silver will stay in mint condition, and you’ll feel confident in your cleaning abilities.

4 Sterling Silver Storage Hacks That Help Prevent Tarnishing

July 20, 2022 2:48 pm

Antiques : Decorative Art : Metals : Silver

No matter how you came to own the silver antiques, we all want to care for the collectibles in the best way possible. Tarnish is something antique silver owners are familiar with and want to prevent. Follow these four storage hacks to help prevent tarnish on your sterling silver.

Wrap in Acid-Free Tissue Paper

Wrapping your sterling silver before storage will help keep away the chemicals that cause tarnish. This hack will also prevent silver pieces from scratching each other if you store them together. Imagine you go to take out your prized Tiffany and Co. antiques to find them marked because they touched. That would be an unpleasant situation.

You can also use an unbleached cotton muslin if you have that type of blanket on hand. Just ensure it’s unbleached, or you could harm your silver.

Store With a Piece of Regular Chalk

Have you ever dropped your phone or another expensive electronic device into water and then submerged it into a tub of rice? We do this because the rice absorbs the moisture, and sometimes, the devices continue to operate correctly after a nice rice bath.

Putting chalk into the storage bag or box with your sterling silver works the same way. The chalk will absorb moisture that dares to sneak into the storage container. It’s another line of defense against tarnishing.

You won’t need to worry about the chalk marking up your silver because you’ve wrapped it nicely.

Store in Dry, Room-Temperature Places

As tempted as you are to store your sterling silver antiques in the basement or attic, this isn’t the best idea. A hutch, storage cabinet, or drawer is the best place to keep them safe. Avoid storing your sterling silver in areas of your home where the temperature fluctuates often.

Temperature changes bring moisture, and moisture leads to tarnish. Heat and humidity are a no-no for sterling silver.

Purchase Anti-Tarnish Storage Bags

Anti-tarnish storage bags are available on the market. These make storage quick and easy; they offer peace of mind about tarnish prevention. You’ll find various sizes and styles. Some even provide slots to store silverware easily. You won’t need to worry about the pieces clinking together in storage.

We hope you find these hacks helpful when you’re finally ready to put your sterling silver into storage. You can say bye-bye to tarnish and hello to beautiful silver antiques.

Why Sterling Silver Antiques Are Stamped With 925

July 8, 2022 10:00 am

Antiques : Decorative Art : Metals : Silver

Whether you’re new to the world of collecting antique sterling silver or a veteran, you’ve probably already seen the number 925 stamped on the bottom of silver pieces. If you don’t know what it means, you’ve found yourself in the perfect place. Continue reading to learn why certain antique sterling silver pieces are stamped with 925.

What Does the Stamp Mean?

The 925 stamp is a confirmation of the purity of the item—for every 1,000 parts of material, 925 of them must be silver, and no more than 75 can be a different metal. If you break it down, 92.5 percent of the item is pure silver, leaving the other 7.5 percent for other metals.

The Sterling Standard

If you find a piece of sterling silver stamped with 925, it’s a genuine piece, known as the “sterling standard.” The stamp doesn’t differ from country to country; it’s a universal mark. If you find a silver piece without this identifiable marking, you should question the item’s purity—it could be fake or impure silver.

Other Markings and Silvers

European silver is often marked with 800, 825, 830, or 850; this is also referred to as continental silver. If you see a piece marked with 950, this signifies Britannia silver. These items are slightly softer than the standard 925 silver.

The amount of silver in silver-plated objects is minimal. For these items, manufacturers incorporate silver-plate markings into their stamps. Silver plating is a small amount of silver applied over a base metal. It requires cleaning from time to time because it tarnishes.

Nelson & Nelson buys and sells antique silver. We’re a knowledgeable antique store in New York City that handpicks each of the quality pieces we offer. Whether you’re an avid silver collector or someone who simply enjoys learning about precious metals, it’s always nice to know what the 925 stamp means on sterling silver. You’ll be more educated as you browse our entire sterling silver collection.

Cleaning and Care Tips for Glass With Silver Overlay

June 21, 2022 10:13 am

Antiques : Decorative Art : Metals : Silver

Cleaning and caring for silver can be tricky. The overlay is fragile, and you want to keep it looking as pristine as the day you bought it. Keep reading to discover a few excellent tips for cleaning and caring for glass with silver overlay.

The Best Way To Clean the Silver Overlay

The top way to clean glass with a silver overlay is to use a cream polish, water, and a soft cloth. Slowly clean the piece, then wipe it with a soft and dry cloth. Ensure it’s completely dry before storing the antique.

Why Does Silver Tarnish?

Most sterling silver collectors are familiar with seeing the brown or black tarnish. If you see silver marked with .925, that signifies that the silver piece meets the percentage for being standard silver, 92.5 percent. 100-percent pure silver would never tarnish, but the silver we buy is technically an alloy, which means the silver gets mixed with other metals, such as copper, to help stabilize it.

The other metals cause the piece to have a chemical reaction with the environment. These environmental factors include:

Humidity: The more moisture is in the air, the faster the silver will tarnish.
Chemicals: Any chemicals in your environment can speed up the tarnishing process. These chemicals include lotion, hairspray, and even food.

You can do your best to control the environment, but you’ll eventually need to clean the silver. You may not like the tarnished look, but it doesn’t harm your silver. Using appropriate cleaning techniques will keep your silver antiques sparkling for years.

You can rest assured that your glass with silver overlay will look great if you follow these care and cleaning tips. The next time you’re searching for a place to buy antique silver, try Nelson & Nelson Antiques. We have a vast antique selection ready for you to purchase.

The Difference Between Sterling Silver and Coin Silver

June 7, 2022 1:36 pm

Antiques : Decorative Art : Metals : Silver

Most people don’t understand the difference between sterling silver and coin silver. If you’re about to sell any antique silver, knowing the differences is crucial. Let’s explore the distinct differences and a few factors that affect their value.

Let’s Look at Coin Silver

As the name suggests, coin silver is the material that creates silver dollars and other silver currency pieces. It’s a standardized composite comprised of a limited number of non-silver alloys such as nickel and copper. It’s more valuable than other alloys containing other metals in higher quantities. Silver coins in the United States have to be at least a .900 fine. In other words, it can’t contain less than 90 percent pure silver.

Let’s Explore Sterling Silver

Sterling silver is another heavily controlled metal. It’s more valuable than coin silver because it has a required purity of 92.5 percent. In some coins, you can find sterling silver, the most famous being the old British pound sterling. The modern British pound doesn’t contain sterling silver.

You’ll commonly find this material in various antique household items, such as goblets, serving platters, cutlery, and mirrors.

Factors That Affect Value

Coin silver and sterling silver have several factors that will affect their value.

Coin Silver

Coin silver wasn’t standardized in the same manner as today until 1868. That means it’s possible to find coin silver alloys with as little as 75 percent silver. Take these items in for appraisal by an expert if you find them. Stamps that read “dollar,” “standard,” “premium,” or “coin” are 900 silver.

Sterling Silver

The item’s worth typically determines the value of sterling silver. For example, a rare cutlery set could be worth more than the inherent value of silver.

Understanding the difference between coin silver and sterling silver will help you in the long run. If you’re looking for an antique silver dealer to appraise your items or are an antique silver collector looking for exquisite sterling silver pieces, shop at Nelson & Nelson Antiques. Feel free to browse our website or stop by our New York City storefront.

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