WHY DOES SILVER TURN BLACK OR GREEN?

Is your silver jewelry oxidized? Or is your ring leaving a black or green mark on your finger? Here are some possible explanations and some steps you can take to remedy the situation.

Possible explanations why silver oxidizes?

Silver becomes black because of hydrogen sulfide (sulfur), a substance that occurs in the air. When silver comes into contact with it, a chemical reaction takes place and a black layer is formed. Silver oxidizes faster in places with a lot of light and high humidity.

Also contact with products like cosmetics, hair spray, perfume, deodorant, body lotion, bleach, etc., can speed up the oxidizing process.

Besides that, the natural oils that your skin produces can also react to your silver jewelry. The extent to which the silver reacts with these substances from your skin is highly dependent on the type of food you eat, alcohol consumption and whether you are taking medication. These things influence the acidity of your skin, which can cause a reaction. Also sweat (which ammonia occurs in) raises the acidity of the skin and could tarnish the silver.

That silver jewelry that turns black would be made of a less silver content or even be no silver, is incorrect and a myth. The oxidation of silver jewelry is a sign that it is really silver. Other (noble) metals oxidize differently.

Some steps you can take to remedy the situation

• Do not store your silver jewelry in damp places such as the bathroom or the kitchen.
• Put on your silver jewelry after you have used make-up, perfume, hair spray and other beauty products.
• Take off your silver jewelry when you go swimming, cleaning (cleaning products are very bad), hand washing or contact with sea water (salt water).
• Take off your silver jewelry if you transpire a lot. For example, in case of fever or intensive exercise.
• Keep your silver jewelry in a closed bag that is protected from air and store it in a dark space.

How do I get my silver jewelry beautiful again?

Use a silver-clean product for cleaning silver jewelry. We offer this in the webshop under the category (accessories or necessities) or take your silver jewelry to a well-informed jeweler.

Ines Bouwen is not responsible for any unwanted changes that are made to your piece of jewelry, neither by the silver-clean product nor by giving advice to go to a well-informed jeweler.

WE CAREFULLY SELECT THE MATERIALS WE WORK WITH AND TRY TO MAKE PRODUCTS THAT HAVE A POSITIVE IMPACT ON THE PERSON WHO WEARS IT.

The economy is changing – driven by companies, citizens and shoppers – who believe that there is a way to preserve the beauty and vitality of the planet. This new economy will be led by those who are aware of the way we live and operate in a way to regenerate natural resources.

These natural resources may not be exhausted. For this reason we prefer to use recycled gold, silver and diamonds that are recovered from the gold industry. Old jewelry gets melted in special ovens in order to separate the content and obtain pure gold again.

To participate furthermore in our climate efforts, we regularly analyze our work process to create a kind of consciousness. We pay attention to the fluency of the production, checking the materials we use and limit our consumption to avoid waste. This analysis starts from the creation of a new collection until we ship them to our customers.

Saving the planet sounds huge and in essence it is, but there are many simple things that we can do to help a bit. Because we believe that simple things can make a difference.

HOW DO I TAKE CARE OF MY JEWELRY?

There are many factors which have an influence on the condition of jewelry. Therefore, you should make sure that your jewelry is properly worn, cleaned and stored.

Always protect your jewelry as much as possible from knocks and scratches. For this reason, we do not recommend to wear jewelry when you are sleeping or participating in sporting activities.

Always protect your jewelry as much as possible from chemicals, as found in soaps, cleaning products and beauty products such as hair spray, perfume, deodorant, body lotion, etc. We recommend to put on your jewelry after you are fully dressed and have finished your hair and make-up.

Also, watch out for swimming pools and sea water. It can speed up the oxidizing process of silver jewelry (read the article “oxidation silver jewelry”). This applies only to the silver jewels, not to the golden ones. But still with your golden jewelry we strongly advise you not wearing them when you go swimming, you might lose them. Therefore, always remove your jewelry before entering water.

HOW DO I STORE MY JEWELRY?

We advise you to store your jewelry separately so that they do not get tangled up or scratch against each other. In order to avoid oxidation with your silver jewelry, please read the article “oxidation silver jewelry”.

HOW DO I CLEAN MY JEWELRY?

For golden items, you can use warm soapy water and a soft toothbrush to remove any dirt.
To brighten up your silver pieces we recommend using a silver-clean product witch you can buy in the webshop under the category “accessories”. Always ensure you clean your item after silver dipping with warm water and blow dry with a hair dryer.

However, cleaning will not bring any originality back of the matt or shiny differences. We recommend that you have your jewel re-treated when the originality has disappeared between matte and shiny.

INES BOUWEN SIZE GUIDES

When ordering jewelry from a webshop, it’s important to know your size. That’s why we developed these handy size guides for rings, necklaces and bracelets.

CHOOSING A DIAMOND IS A CELEBRATION ITSELF

The 4 C’s

No two diamonds are exactly alike. Each one is unique. This is why over the years a universal standard for identifying diamonds has been set. The quality and value of a diamond is defined according to the 4 Cs: carat, colour, clarity and cut.

At HRD Antwerp they are experts in analysing these characteristics, making sure consumers know exactly what kind of diamond they are buying.

Ines Bouwen followed an education as diamond grader at the Hoge Raad voor Diamant (HRD Antwerp) to analyse these characteristics, so she can select the most brilliant diamonds with an expert eye. Her certificate as Diamond Grader guarantees this.

Learn everything you need to know about the 4 Cs in the HRD interactive showcase.

HAVE YOU ALREADY FOUND YOUR COLOR OF GOLD?
OR WHAT ABOUT SILVER?

Below you will find the most beautiful colors of gold in which you can order your favourite design and a bit of information about the differences between silver and gold.

WHITE GOLD 18KT, CHAMPAGNE COLOR

WHITE GOLD 18KT, RHODIUM COLOR

YELLOW GOLD 18KT

ROSE GOLD 18KT

STERLING SILVER 925

Sterling silver is a precious metal mixing with very high silver content.
Silver has a gray color but with a white accent.

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SILVER AND GOLD

In a nutshell, silver is much softer than gold. Gold is much more sustainable and lasts for generations, while silver does not last a lifetime. Which material you choose depends on your personality and your budget. For wedding rings we strongly recommend choosing golden wedding rings so that they last a lifetime.