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Sealing silver oxidation?

yssie

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I bought a beautiful ring from MC2's closing sale. Silver atop 18k YG.
(For which both my wallet and I hold @mrs-b responsible, just so everyone's clear on accountability).

The ring arived with a mild patina that was really lovely.
After a few weeks of semi-regular wear the silver outer has been completely stripped of oxidation in all but the deepest crevices around the prongs.
It looks ridiculous.

I'll leave it alone to re-oxidize a bit, which hopefully shouldn't take long - goodness knows my flatware can oxidize in heartbeats :roll: Once it's returned to decency, does anyone have suggestions for keeping it that way? Google is suggesting clear nail polish... I'm hoping for something a little more... organic, I suppose...

Vendor photos of the "before". I'll spare myself the embarrassment of posting its current state.

1581914805183.png

1581914782817.png
 

JPie

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I don’t know how to keep it oxidized, but you can speed up the process by sealing it in a Ziploc bag with a smashed, hard boiled egg. The ring doesn’t need to touch the egg; the sulfur is what oxidizes it.

Be sure to hard boil two eggs - one for the ring, and one to eat!
 

yssie

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@JPie I'm seeing this egg method recommended nearly everywhere! But not too much on sealants... Maybe the real solution is a nightly egg :bigsmile:
 

Rfisher

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Beautiful ring.
As much as I love eggs
I’d try storing the ring with a sulfur crystal in its specimen display box first.
 

yssie

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I use Renaissance Wax (available on Amazon) to seal silver and copper items.


I’m reading the reviews. This looks fantastic - exactly what I want! A thin, somewhat-durable coating that doesn’t interfere with the finish of the piece itself... And it sounds like it’s easy to remove with spirits if desired...

Thank you for the recommendation @distracts! I’m buying a pot now.
 

denverappraiser

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This is what most of my jeweler friends use to oxidize silver. It's extremely effective. Be warned, it's highly acidic. Don't drink it, get it on your clothes, breathe the fumes, etc. It deserves your respect. A one-ounce bottle will last your whole life if you're not a manufacturer.

 
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yssie

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I ordered a bottle of Griffith Silver Black as well ::)

Thank you, everyone, for your recommendations!!
 

kenny

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PintoBean

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mrs-b

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Ohhhh - it's BEAUTIFUL!

I'm kinda surprised about the oxidation issue, tho. This can't be the first time MC2 have made an oxidized ring, and with their prices, I would have thought they'd have gone to the effort of sealing it properly. To me, that falls into the category of after-service care. So I'm a little disappointed.

Love the design tho - absolutely love it! Have you been able to fix it, @yssie? And - when you have, could we have some hand shots pls? I didn't see this one in their emails; did you end up making your way down there? Was it a bun fight??

All things considered - and oxidization issues aside - I think this new piece is awesome. :))
 
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