How shiny should a silver ring be?

J

Jesssh

Member
Jan 20, 2012
6,493
223
#1
I bought this fun little sterling silver ring and I love everything about it, except I really wish the silver were a shade darker.

image.jpg

Left is stock photo, right is a bad ipad 2 pic (sorry).

Do you think it's too bright? Or is that a trend right now?

I have other silver pieces that are just as bright but they don't bother me, maybe because the silver is thicker and/or it has more texture, IDK. Or maybe they are covered with oils or fingerprints which makes them matte. Or maybe the silver stands out more on this piece because the stones are reflecting off it. :shrugs:

I have been googling and a lot of people are trying to make their silver pieces shinier. Others create a patina or tarnish by exposing to harsh chemicals or ammonia fumes or boiled egg or the shower steam or by wearing the piece. Should I wait it out? Should I massage it with my fingers? Should I just accept and embrace it?

BTW, I have some sterling earrings that I feel the same way about but I don't know if they have an additional coating. They have no stones and were cheaper - I could experiment on those. Both pieces are hammered. I would not risk a dip, but I am thinking about the fumes and the egg method.

TIA!
 
#2
Silver has higher reflective properties, so at it's best care it will be shiny. The question is whether your pieces are genuine 925 silver. Most fashion jewelry I buy end up being base metals, which can get ruined with a dip. If you want it darker I would let your piece oxidize naturally.
 
#3
LVoeletters said:
Silver has higher reflective properties, so at it's best care it will be shiny. The question is whether your pieces are genuine 925 silver. Most fashion jewelry I buy end up being base metals, which can get ruined with a dip. If you want it darker I would let your piece oxidize naturally.
Click to expand...

Thanks for responding!

The ring is stamped as 925. I don't know if it's coated.

The earrings were advertised as sterling silver (which by definition is 925) but are not stamped. They are thin. They are hanging on the bathroom towel rack now - I'll see how they survive a long shower. I can always clean them with a silver polishing cloth if they turn to a color I don't like.
 
#4
925 indicates sterling, but maybe it is rhodium dipped? That seems to be becoming more popular, as you don't have to polish it as often.

I do have some 925 sterling jewelry that is whiter and more shiny than some of my other pieces. After years and wear, some pieces form a patina that is a little richer in color but doesn't look exactly tarnished, and it stays that richer color even after cleaning and polishing. One of my old bracelets (30 years old) confounds me, as it never did. It looks brand new - very bright and white.
 
#5
^ very true. A lot of retail sterling silver is being rodium dipped... I am wondering if that's why you want the ring a "shade darker." I can usually tell in person right away though. I prefer silver unplated.
 
#6
Thank you for the replies.

The ring is ippolita. On their web site, they have advice on how to resist tarnish, so I assume the regular silver is not rhodium-dipped. (The black pieces are plated with black rhodium.)

I also found some discussions on google about tarnish, including this thread on tpf:

http://forum.purseblog.com/the-jewelry-box/ippolita-sterling-silver-606852.html

Hmmm, some people are not experiencing tarnish. I wonder if they did start dipping! Their web page is old.

I can live with the earrings staying lighter. (They looked like shiny fish - marquis-shaped hammered silver - and that's what I liked about them.) I think the ring may be fine with a little age. When I tried it on the first time, I don't remember being blinded by the silver. The one I tried on may have aged a little in the display case (?) and maybe the one I got was newer or cleaned since it was a special size.

Oh well, if it stays shiny, I'll just get used to it and style around it if it bugs me.
 
#7
A Nordstrom SA told me today that ippolita silver is so shiny because dips her silver in pure silver. Underneath it is 925.

So I guess I'll get used to it. If I wear it with my other shiny pieces, it will blend in.

My white gold pendant (from another designer) is quite shiny too. Not as much. Maybe I am too sensitive to shiny things. :P
 
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