Jewellery always makes for good accessories. Engraved jewellery presents the opportunity to own unique custom pieces. These are pieces that no one else in the whole wide world can have. Engraved jewellery pieces stand out thanks to their uniqueness. This is more than enough reason to take care of your engraved jewellery.
Engraved jewellery is versatile enough to allow you to use them for many reasons. These range from commemorating certain life events and meaningful memories to cute messages. You can also use engraved jewellery to create family heirlooms. Plus, engraved jewellery is easy to trace in the unfortunate event that you lose it.
So, what are some of the best metals to use when engraving jewellery?
Common materials used in engraved jewellery
You can make engraved jewellery from different types of durable metals. This makes it possible for your engraved jewellery to last for a long time, even a lifetime. The most common metals that you can choose from are silver, sterling silver, yellow gold and rose gold. All these metals can be used in high-quality engraved jewellery but the choice is yours.
Silver and sterling silver
Sterling silver is a sturdy type of metal alloy that works well with engraved jewellery. This alloy combines both silver and copper for an even stronger metal. The copper in sterling silver is of a small quantity which doesn’t affect the appearance of the silver. Sterling silver is also less prone to staining if you compare it to pure silver that’s a very reactive metal.
Sterling silver is also easy to manipulate during engraving. This makes it one of the most preferred options for hand engraving jewellery.
On the other hand, pure silver is much softer and delicate. This means that even if you may get high quality engraved jewellery from it, the pieces may wear out faster. And for personalised engraved jewellery, the last thing that you want is to let go of a sentimental piece.
Gold
Gold is yet another metal that most people favour when it comes to engraved jewellery. But, gold is rare, expensive and more difficult to mine in bulk. This leaves gold alloys as the preferred choice for personalised engraved jewellery. These alloys include yellow and rose gold.
Rose gold is the result of an alloy made of pure gold, silver and copper in different portions. This alloy gets its name from the resulting colour of the alloy. Silver and copper make it easier to work with rose gold. Rose gold tends to have a little more copper than gold in its composition.
Yellow gold has a higher percentage of gold than copper which makes it appear yellow. Remember that pure gold is also yellowish in colour. This means that yellow gold is less likely to rust or react with other elements. But at the same time, yellow gold, like pure gold, will wear out much easier since it’s a weak metal. This makes it less preferred for engraved jewellery.
That said, both yellow and rose gold have silver and copper in them. What differs is how much of these other components are in the metal. This is the kind of information that you need when you’re choosing metal for your engraved jewellery.
You should also be on the lookout for how to spot cheap jewellery made of other low-quality alloys. These include jewellery that’s coated or painted to look like one of the above alloys. Engraved jewellery from such kinds of materials will wear out faster. They may also cause your skin to react negatively.
How do you take care of your hand-engraved jewellery?
There is no joy in walking around with engraved jewellery that lacks lustre and looks worn out. So the question is, how can you avoid this?
Avoid chemicals
For starters, you should avoid doing household chores while wearing jewellery like rings. This is because there are harsh chemicals in the cleaning products. These chemicals may erode the surfaces of engraved jewellery.
You should also avoid wearing your engraved jewellery in pools and spas. The reason behind this is that there’s chlorinated water in these places. This water will react with the jewellery material which will diminish the lustre, leaving you with dull engraved jewellery.
You should also avoid using industrial metal cleaners on your personalised engraved jewellery. These cleaners can be too harsh on your personalised engraved jewellery. This is because the chemicals will eat the topcoat of the jewellery.
Your engraved jewellery will then lose its outer appeal. Instead, use mild anti-tarnish liquids and soft cloths to clean your jewellery. A jewellery engraving store near you can recommend some anti-tarnish suggestions.
Avoid DIY cleaning methods
Another thing that you need to avoid is cleaning your engraved jewellery using DIY methods. This includes using household products such as toothpaste, vinegar and baking soda. These products can be harsh on the jewellery surfaces and deteriorate them faster.
When storing your engraved jewellery, you should wrap them in a soft dry cloth. Your jewellery should also be in cool, dry places. This will reduce the chances of moisture from humid air getting into your jewellery. Humidity can cause corrosion in metal components and you don’t want that.
Avoid wearing engraved jewellery during physical activity
Plus, you should also avoid wearing your engraved jewellery when performing physical activities. This includes activities such as sports. This will reduce the chances of mechanical damage on the engraved jewellery. You definitely don’t want your most important necklace to break because it got stuck in someone’s hair.
In the same vein, always try to put on your engraved jewellery after wearing your clothes and vice versa for taking off your jewellery. The same goes for wearing perfume and body lotions. Putting on your engraved jewellery after your lotion and perfume are dry will help you keep their shiny lustre.
The Silver Store engraved jewellery
If you’re looking for quality engraved jewellery then The Silver Store is here for you. We offer personalised handwriting engraved jewellery on a variety of high-quality metals. As a bonus, we have a great customer service team that will help you create beautiful unique engraved jewellery. Visit our website and shop from our high-quality engraved jewellery options.