As The Antiques Diva I have more than my fair share of antique silver lying around the house. While I'm fortunate that I actually like the look of tarnished silver, from time to time I feel obligated to pull out polishing rags and start shining! Enter the product-de-jour Hagerty's Silver Polish. Whenever the time comes when I absolutely must polish my pieces it's Hagerty's to the rescue! Visit the company website to get more product information: http://hagertyusa.com/
But did you
know that you can over polish your silver?
Too much polishing can actually wear down the finish! It was music to my polish-hating ears when I
found out that you really shouldn't polish silver more than twice a year! In between polishing, try to use your silver
in order to keep the tarnish away. It's
a proven fact that the more you use your silver the less often you need to
polish it! Frequent use doesn't allow
tarnish time to build up - and as we all know tarnish is to silver as
kryptonite is to Superman. Plus, an
added benefit of frequent use is that not only will you look sophisticated
serving coffee in your grandmother's silver set, but the more you use it, the
more beautiful of a patina develops and deepens! And with antiques, value often is in the eye
of the beholder with patina making the value rise!
After using it, wash it by hand. I know,
I know ... most top-of-the-line modern dish washers claim that they provide
enough protection to clean silver without damaging its finish, but it's the
friction - the actual rubbing of the silver - that creates that
gorgeous-see-your-smile-in-the-silver shine.
After hand washing and rubbing your silver completely dry, store it properly. And by properly I mean do not allow your
silver to touch any rubber whatsoever!
Now, that might seem crazy talk - I can see you shaking your head
wondering why one would ever put silver & rubber together in the same
dcor, but many clients make the mistake of storing their silverware in those plastic
holders lining their kitchen drawers. Did you know that rubber contains sulfur, and
that sulfur causes your silver to corrode?
Even something as simple as setting your silver on a plastic drying rack
can cause corrosion! Silver is a touchy
metal! Let's just say it doesn't play well with others. Be careful not to store fine silver or silver
plate next to stainless steel - yet again, when the silver touches these other
metals a reaction occurs, causing stains and damages!
Until next time, Forget about Polishing the Silver and Hold a Tea Party
instead!
The Antiques Diva
To read more exciting articles written by The Antiques Diva visit www.antiquesdiva.blogspot.com or to book a European Antiques Shopping Tour at www.antiquesdiva.com Follow me on www.twitter.com/TheAntiquesDiva
