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Q&As since 1989
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Yellowing patch on sterling silver?
Q. What would cause a specific area on the piece to turn yellow?- not the whole piece but 1/2?
it's not full fledge tarnished and can't be polished out.
Would it have anything to do with the paper it has been placed on?
Any help or experiences would be much appreciated.
consumer - West Warwick, Rhode Island, USA
July 22, 2009
A. Sterling Silver is actually 92% silver (in the USA) and down to as low as 80% in Europe. Neither is quite as white as 100% silver, so some sterling is overplated with a thin layer of 100% silver to make it really white. You may have polished through this whiter layer, revealing a yellowish color of the base Sterling. This is most common on European Sterling.
If so, the only remedy is replating.
Jeffrey Holmes, CEF
Spartanburg, South Carolina
July 27, 2009
A. My bet is that the silver plate was thin and you have worn or polished the silver off and the yellow that you are seeing is the nickel underplate.
James Watts- Navarre, Florida
July 29, 2009
A. Hi Lina. Either Jeffrey or James might be correct. However, this is what silverplate looks like when the plating has worn through (inside the bowl of the spoon) and the underlying "nickel-silver" (which actually contains no silver) is showing through ...
If that's what it looks like, and it has a metallic taste when you put your tongue on the discolored area, I'd be concerned about whether it was really Sterling rather than silverplate. Who said it is? Is it marked sterling? Good luck with it.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
Leaving sterling silver unpolished
Q. Hello. I have an option to buy a pair of sterling silver rings in an unfinished state to save 100 euros. I.e., finishing will cost 100 euros. My question is, what will happen to the silver if I never finish and polish the rings? They are 925/000, without doubt. Must I finish and polish? I actually do not mind the dull grey appearance.
Many thanks!
- Lowell, Michigan USA
March 15, 2018
A. Hi Bryan. As far as I know there is no stability problem to just leaving it be.
Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
March 2018
Solid silver with yellow patches
Q. I have a solid silver (has been tested) tea service that has begun to get two types of yellowing that I have never seen before. One almost looks like plating is coming off and the other looks like a lacquer is discolouring. I have never seen this happen on these items before, but until this spring, we lived in a climate with less humidity. I ordered some Hagerty Silver Foam Silver Cleaner, as the local silver auction house recommended it. Any thoughts?
- Indianapolis, Indiana
July 17, 2020
A. Hi John. If they are not plated then the plating cannot peel; however, there is an off chance that they are sterling silver and were silver plated at some point anyway.
And there might be a chance that you or someone in the chain misunderstood and they tested as "nickel-silver", "German silver" or similar terms describing a material which actually has no silver in it. If they're not stamped "Sterling" or "925" that would be my first guess.
But get some lacquer thinner [on eBay or Amazon] and see what, if anything, comes off. Good luck.
Luck & Regards,
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
July 2020
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