Silver Deserves Better: Choosing and Keeping Chandi

Silver occupies an odd position in Nepali jewellery. It is everywhere — in puja vessels, in the ornaments given at a child's first rice feeding, in the everyday pieces that people actually wear rather than keep in a locker — and it gets a fraction of the attention that gold does.

It also behaves quite differently, and most of the complaints people have about silver come from treating it as though it were gold.

Purity, and what sterling means

Pure silver is 999 fine and, like pure gold, too soft for most objects that get handled. The working standard is sterling silver, 925 fine, which is 92.5 per cent silver with the balance usually copper. If you see 925 stamped on a piece, that is what it is telling you.

Nepali ritual and traditional items are often made at higher fineness, because they are handled gently and because tradition prefers it. Everyday jewellery is generally sterling, and should be.

The copper is not an adulterant. It is what makes the metal hold a shape. It is also, as it happens, part of the reason silver tarnishes.

Why silver goes black, and why that is not damage

Tarnish is not dirt and it is not corrosion in the way rust is. It is a thin layer of silver sulphide, formed when the surface reacts with sulphur compounds in the air. It is a surface phenomenon and it comes off.

Things that accelerate it dramatically:

• Humidity, which is why silver tarnishes fastest during the monsoon.
• Rubber bands and some plastics, which release sulphur. Never store silver in a rubber band.
• Wool and some papers, for the same reason.
• Eggs, onions and mustard, which is why silver serving pieces darken in a kitchen.
• Cosmetics, hair products, and swimming pool water.

Cleaning it properly

For light tarnish, warm water with a little mild soap, a soft cloth, and patience. Dry it completely; water left in a crevice will do more harm than the tarnish did.

For heavier tarnish, a proper silver polish and a soft cloth, worked gently. Polishing removes a very thin layer of metal each time, so it is not something to do monthly out of habit.

Things to avoid outright:

• Toothpaste, which is abrasive enough to scratch a polished surface.
• Baking soda scrubbed on directly, for the same reason.
• Anything abrasive on an oxidised piece. Many traditional Nepali designs are deliberately blackened in the recesses to bring out the pattern, and enthusiastic polishing strips exactly the part the maker intended to keep.
• Ultrasonic cleaners on anything with soft or porous stones, or with turquoise or coral, both common in Himalayan work.

Storing it so it does not tarnish in the first place

Prevention is far easier than cure. Keep silver dry, keep it away from air, and keep it away from sulphur.

An airtight bag with a silica gel sachet will keep a piece bright for years. Anti-tarnish strips work well in a jewellery box. Wrapping in acid-free tissue before bagging protects the surface from scratching.

The single most effective habit, though, is to wear it. Silver worn regularly tarnishes far less than silver in a drawer, because the friction of ordinary use keeps the surface clean.

Buying silver well

Making charges on silver are proportionally much higher than on gold, and this catches people out. The metal is cheap and the labour is not, so on a detailed silver piece the labour may be most of what you are paying. That is not a shop being unreasonable; it is arithmetic.

It also means silver rewards buying for the work rather than the weight. A well-made silver piece is one of the best-value things in a Nepali jewellery shop, and one of the least noticed.