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What is Oxidized or Blackened Silver?

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Puja Kumari
What is Oxidized or Blackened Silver?

Oxidized silver is created by introducing silver to sulfides that help in changing the color of the ornament. Usually, this process takes a long period. The name 'Oxidizing' is a mislead as there is no role of oxygen in the process.


Oxidizing silver ornaments is popular as it provides a royal look to the items. It is also used to experiment with different designs of pieces of jewellery by mixing in the process.


If you are looking for pieces of jewellery other than silver jewellery, you can visit Best Diamond Jewellery in Bikaner, which is a trusted retailer of gold and diamond pieces of jewellery.


Oxidized silver is also known as blackened silver because the surface of the jewellery pieces is darkened due to the introduction of chemicals in the process. A layer of silver sulfide which is black in color forms on the surface of the silver ornaments.


Although the items after oxidizing get a black color layer on the exterior of the items, they can also get other colors like blue, yellow, and red, based on the type of chemical used.


Difference between real silver and Oxidized silver


Real silver is different from oxidized silver and a real silver ornament is hard to oxidize. However, sterling silver which is 92.5% pure is more suitable to be oxidized than other pure silvers. The oxidization process of sterling silver takes a long time because of its purity.


Plated silver is best suited for oxidizing and many ornaments are being made with this kind of silver. The silver-containing rhodium is not likely to be oxidized.


Wearing Oxidized Silver


Oxidized silver jewellery can be worn without any special treatment. But to keep the piece of jewellery looking attractive for a long, it should be treated with care. 


You should remove the oxidized silver jewellery when you are doing some physical activity or playing physical games. Make sure you keep the ornaments away from the water. Also, you should not expose the jewellery to any hard mechanical abuse as it may break the ornaments.


Oxidized silver remains in its original form for longer because the silver itself oxidizes due to the sulfur and oxygen present on its surface of it. Thus there is a natural oxidization always going on the surface of the metal.


Restoring Oxidation on Silver


Oxidized silver can be restored by contacting a professional who will once again oxidize the item with a new polish of the jewellery. 


Oxidized silver is hard to be damaged or faded as it can last longer with natural oxidization occurring on its surface. Moreover, the frequency of oxidization depends on how you wear your jewellery and how you maintain and care for your jewellery.


Conclusion


While silver is the most used metal for pieces of jewellery, you can also opt for stones such as Kundan for an attractive piece of jewellery. And this stone jewellery can be obtained from Kundan Jewellery in Bikaner.


Oxidizing silver is a process of using chemicals and sulfur on sterling silver to oxidize it to create a grey or black layer on the surface of the silver jewellery. In simple words, it is a process of creating a dark layer on the surface of sterling silver ornaments.

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