Silver earrings

Earrings have a long history, having been worn by both men and women since pre-historic times. It was worn for cosmetic purposes, as well as a symbol of power and authority. Those who wore jewelry were treated very highly. Valuable jewelry determines their high rank in the society.
Today, silver earrings are a hit for both men and women. However, when most people say, ‘my silver earrings are 100% authentic and real’, may actually be the case. Pure silver is very soft, which makes it very hard to work on. It is not durable, it melts under high temperatures and it cannot carry the weight when precious stones are cast in them. Worse off, it is very hard to wear them without making any scratches. Pure silver is certainly not recommended for everyday wear.

The best alternative for silver jewelry is sterling silver. It is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper or other metals. This is much more durable, more workable and more versatile than pure silver. Sterling silver earrings are available in a wide range of sizes and designs. They complement almost every attire so it’s not that hard to mix and match your outfit. There are three basic types of earrings: stud, hoop and dangling earrings. The most popular design is the classic round stud sterling silver earrings, which is simple and looks good to both men and women. It is perfect in the business and work atmosphere, because it’s nothing too classy. Other popular stud shapes are heart, disc, oblong, dolphin, crosses, birds, moon, flower, and star shaped earrings.

For special occasions, romantic dinners and big parties, the chandelier silver earrings are the popular choice for women. They seem to add a million dollars to any outfit. Sometimes these chandelier earrings have diamonds studded into them. They come in different sizes, from a simple modest design to a larger and more elaborate design. Some earrings even have additional hoops and studs along with the chandeliers! And, don’t be fooled: it’s not as heavy as it looks!

For something more unique, the Indian sterling silver earrings may give you that different exotic look that you crave. It has an oxidized finish, which give an ethnic rustic look. This is the finish preferred by most Indian women. Other women prefer larger and chunkier earrings, complete with diamonds, pearls, or other precious stones studded into them.

Your earrings should complement not only the outfit, but the face as well. Smaller sized earrings are preferred by many because it makes the face larger and more prominent. Women with round faces should choose larger earrings because it makes the face smaller and less round. Through optical illusion, the earrings help make one’s face even more beautiful.

Silver earrings make an excellent gift to a loved one, and sterling silver is definitely one of the best choices. Give silver jewelry as a present during birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas, and it will surely put a smile on your loved one’s face. In some cases, sterling silver looks more appealing and fashionable than gold.

Silver jewelry look beautiful, and since the color is neutral, it suits almost every color of outfit you choose to wear. Silver earrings are particularly great and versatile. They make great accessories for work, play, and party. Your silver earrings and jewelry need extra love and care to make them looking good and sparkling new through the years. Without special care and attention, your silver will tarnish and the entire luster will be gone.

Here are some important tips to remember on how to take good care of your silver earrings and jewelry to make it last many, many years:

1.    Wear them constantly instead of keeping them away in compact jewelry boxes. The skin’s oils help coat the silver, so constant contact between the silver and the skin will slow down tarnishing.
2.    Avoid the silver jewelry pieces to come in contact with chemicals and other household products. Tarnishing occurs when the silver comes in contact with sulfur, which is present in the air and in many common household products such as bleach, chlorine, ammonia, alcohol, turpentine and acetone.
3.    Grooming products such as lotions, gel and perfumes are also a big no-no! Avoid getting these products sprayed over your silver earrings and jewelry. They contain chemicals that help accelerate tarnishing.
4.    It is a good practice to take off your silver jewelries while at home to keep it safe. It is wise also to put on your jewelry AFTER you have dressed up, done your hair, sprayed on perfume and put on make up.
5.    Keep your silver earrings and jewelry on airtight containers instead of plain compact jewelry boxes, especially if you don’t wear them quite so often. This will keep it from coming in contact with air, which also accelerates tarnishing. Better yet, place your different silver jewelries separately in individual zip lock bags so they don’t come in contact, which will cause scratches and damages to each other.
6.    Keep your jewelry containers safe and sealed. Keep the jewelry cases away from extreme heat and moisture, for they will harm your precious jewelry.
7.    Find the time to clean your silver earrings and jewelry once a year, but don’t clean it too often. Find a good silver cleaning solution, which you can find in many jewelry stores. Get a mild silver cleaner, so that it won’t damage the precious stones as well. The best type of silver cleaning solution is the dip type, because it works best even for untreated silver jewelry. (IMPORTANT: it also pays to read and follow the instructions carefully!)
8.    If you do not have a silver cleaner, a plain mild soap and water will do. Use an old toothbrush and lightly brush your silver jewelry, rinse and dry thoroughly. Dry using a soft cloth, for paper towels will cause unsightly scratches!
9.    If your silver earrings are already heavily tarnished, instead of using soap and water to clean your jewelry, replace it with toothpaste instead. Place a pea sized amount of toothpaste, and gently scrub. Rinse, and dry thoroughly.

Men wore jewelry since the ancient times for cosmetic and religious purposes. Jewelry is quite popular for both men and women back in the days, although it became unacceptable for men to wear jewelry in the succeeding eras. It became popular once again during the 1950s forward, when style icons such as high status celebrities, musicians, athletes start wearing jewelry.

Now, there is a vast range of classy and modern jewelry available for men. There are different types of silver jewelry worn by men. Some are exclusive for men only, such as cuff links, while most are similar to women’s jewelry, such as bracelets, necklaces, rings, and of course, earrings. Silver earrings were actually one of the final pieces of jewelry that were accepted in the society because they were largely associated to be exclusively for women. However due to the emergence of fashion trends, earrings for men are now widely accepted all over the world. Jewelry is no longer seen as womanly or ‘gay’, but they now allow men to create an image of power and influence.

Men’s earrings can be made of gold, platinum, or any other type of material, but the most popular ones are those made of silver. The silver earrings are usually not made of pure silver, but alloyed with copper to make sterling silver. Sterling silver is very durable and workable, perfect to make men’s silver earrings. Pure silver is generally not recommended for everyday wear because they are very soft, flexible and malleable.

Apart from the material used, the type of earring should be used. There are different types of silver earrings, but men usually opt for the stud earrings and the hoop earrings. Stud earrings are just a single dot adorned in the ears of men. They are made of silver, or sometimes, semi-precious and precious stones. Hoop earrings, on the other hand, are formed like a ring that hangs on the lower part of the outer ears.

There are also different types of designs of earrings for men. With stud earrings, there are several designs you can choose from. The simple one is a single dot, which have varying sizes and thickness. You can go crazy by choosing other wacky and unique (but still masculine) designs, such as a dollar sign, dragon, marijuana icon or maybe Batman’s logo— the choices are limitless.

With hoop earrings, there are also plain ones and more unique designs. One design is the double hoop silver earrings, which are two overlapping hoops that converge in one place. Another design is the ‘huggie’ earrings, a thicker rendition of the usual hoop earrings. Other designs use two or more combination of metals, such as gold and silver, or platinum and gold, or titanium and gold, and all other variations that you can imagine.

Men should consider their professions and way of living before opting for silver earrings and jewelry. Men working in the entertainment industry and in other creative fields have more freedom to where what they choose. However, men in other professions are not as encouraging. Stricter office settings will not allow visible tattoos or piercing. Even the National Basketball Association prohibit basketball players from wearing jewelry while in uniform.

Silver earrings always look great and elegant, and have been fashionable since the metal’s discovery. They add the ‘oomph’ in any outfit. Although less valuable than gold earrings, silver jewelries serve as an exquisite gift, a good piece of investment, and as a family heirloom. Although silver is slightly less valuable than gold, proper care is needed to have them last for many years.

Before buying the silver jewelry piece, ask the sales representative if they may have a special cleaning solution for your silvers. If there are none, you can purchase one, or a simple soap and water will just do. Due to its exquisite design and intricate structure, silver earrings are one of the hardest jewelry to clean. These jewelry pieces often have small details and inlays of semiprecious stones that make cleaning a very daunting chore.

Silver earrings get tarnished when it comes in contact with sulfur and other elements that cause a chemical response. Silver sulfide is a dark pigmentation that materializes in the surface of the silver earrings. If your silver earrings and other silver jewelry pieces get stained or tarnished, you can get professional cleaning services, although it can get quite costly.

There are more inexpensive methods you can do in your own home. In case of dark pigmentation forming on your jewelry pieces, it can be removed through the use of polishing compounds. However, the polishing and rubbing processes cause some parts of the silver jewelry piece to deteriorate.

There is another way to clean your silver earrings, without having to lose silver’s luster. Here is a step by step method in creating this silver cleaning solution that will work best. The good news is, most of the materials you will need can usually be found in your kitchen.

1. Get a piece of hard plastic or a glass container. Wrap the bottom with some aluminum foil.
2. Pour boiling, but not hot, water on the receptacle, on the enough level that it will submerge the silver jewelry.
3. Mix the water with several tablespoons of sodium carbonate (or washing soda). Once nicely settled, place your silver earrings and other jewelry pieces inside. Ensure that the jewelry pieces are not on top of one another, and that all of them should be nicely laid out flat on the bottom, touching the aluminum foil.
4. You will notice then that the solution will get bubbly and steamy right away, with a foul smell a la rotten eggs emitting from the solution.
5. Let the silver earrings and jewelries stay for a minute. Bring them out, and rinse your jewelry pieces in cold water.

Dry the jewelry pieces using a soft cloth. Paper towels will scratch them. After having them dried, place them somewhere cool, dry and sealed. Avoid air and sunlight exposure, since it will tarnish the silver. Do note use chlorine and other chemicals because it will destroy the silver. After doing these five easy steps, your silver earrings will be glittering like brand new.

Compared to other jewelries, silver earrings are the hardest to clean. Why? Simply because these have different complicated and intricate designs that are very delicate. Most earrings have drops and embellishments such as semi-precious stones and even diamonds.  Once the stones or rocks of a certain earring are not cleaned properly, it may get detached or lose its form.

Most people tend to seek professional help when it comes to cleaning their silver earrings. However, this might cost too much and during these hard economic times, that wouldn’t be so practical. You can actually do it yourself!

But before you get going on your DIY cleaning, you must first understand why silver jewelries are easy to tarnish. Silver jewelries are easy to tarnish because:

1. Sulfur is a substance that is present in the environment and when this comes together with silver, there would be a chemical response.
2. Silver sulfide which is a dark substance that roams around in the air. Once this one touches silver, it forms in its surface.
3. There are other elements in light, air and water that react with silver.

Back in the day, they really push the silver jewelry hard to revive it. However, once you do polishing and rubbing of the dark substances, certain parts of your silver jewelry might be lost. Fortunately, nowadays, there is an option when it comes to reviving the glitter of your silver jewelries. This helps the jewelry regain its glory without losing its components. This solution can be bought in the market and you can do this yourself. You do not need to spend hundreds of dollars with a professional cleaner since this is very practical. If you think that you have to buy a bottle with a silver cleansing solution inside, you are wrong. Actually, you can buy the ingredients of the solution in your local market. Best of all, it might even be just in your kitchen!

Here are the ingredients you will need:

1. aluminum foil
2. glass or plastic container
3. boiling water
4. sodium carbonate or washing detergent
5. cold water

Here are the steps:

1. Wrap the aluminum foil and place it inside the bottom of your glass or plastic container.
2. Pour boiling water on the container. Make sure that the boiling water is enough to cover your jewelries.
3. Then mix a number of tablespoons of washing detergent or sodium carbonate to the boiling water. Let it dissolve.
4. Once it dissolves, place your jewelries in the container and make sure they are flatly place on the bottom with the aluminum foil.
5. Observe it. Once the solution smells foul or bubbles, it is effective.
6. Keep the jewelry there for about a minute.
7. After one minute, get the jewelries and rinse with cold water.

After these seven simple steps, you can see your old silver earrings regaining its old glory. You can also do this with your other silver jewelries. You can even teach your neighbors, friends and family how to do it so that you can all save your money for more important matters.