Whether you're dressing up or keeping things casual, you'll rarely go wrong with silver jewelry. Silver is a delicate metal, so it scratches easily. Deep scratches are almost impossible to remove without a professional jeweler's help. If your silver jewelry has fine scratches, though, try using plain toothpaste to buff them out. Toothpaste is a mild abrasive that smooths out scuff marks if they're not too deep. Follow up with silver polish to give jewelry a like-new shine.
Step 1
Dampen the silver jewelry with a small amount of water.
Step 2
Apply a dab of plain toothpaste to the tip of your finger.
Step 3
Rub the toothpaste into the scratched area on the silver jewelry using small, circular motions. Continue until you've covered all of the scratches with a thin layer of toothpaste.
Step 4
Rinse off the toothpaste with warm water, and pat the jewelry dry with a soft cloth.
Step 5
Repeat this process until all scratches disappear.
Step 6
Apply a small amount of silver polish to the jewelry to give it additional shine. Buff the polish into the silver with a clean cloth.
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- If toothpaste doesn't work, the scratches might be too deep. Consider taking the item to a jeweler for repair. Jewelers use silver dip or silver-cleaning wadding to eliminate scratches.
- Don't polish silver with whitening or tartar-control toothpaste -- both contain ingredients that can damage the delicate metal.
- Keep silver away from latex, rubber and salt because these things can cause tarnish.
- When storing silver, keep it wrapped in sulfur-free paper or a soft bag designed for jewelry storage. Store each piece separately because silver items can scratch if they're stored together.
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