Silver charm bracelets make great gifts because you can keep adding trinkets to them over the years creating a unique piece of jewelry. You can buy a new charm for every birthday or special occasion, and you can trade silver charms with other wearers, so it’s a gift that keeps on giving. A silver charm bracelet is stylish, classy, and goes with anything.
You can buy a bracelet with the charms already attached, or you can buy a plain bracelet and then collect your charms one at a time. Charms can be anything from birthstones to miniature moons and teddy bears. Usually, each charm has a special meaning or significance because it symbolizes something to the wearer. A gingerbread charm may symbolize dreams and fairy tales, a star may be for celebration, and a heart would illustrate love. Some websites and jewelery stores allow you to design a one-of-a-kind bracelet by selecting your own special charms.
Once you have a complete charm bracelet, you want to keep it shiny and clean. Silver gets tarnished by exposure to air and sunlight, so you need to treat it regularly. The charms on a bracelet are often small and intricately carved, so it may be difficult to clean them effectively through polishing. The best way to get rid of tarnish is to dip your silver jewelry in a cleaning solution. However, remember that this solution can damage settings like turquoise or pearl, as well as silver plated metal, so only use it if your bracelet is made from plain sterling silver.
You can make the cleaning solution at home using salt, baking soda, and dishwashing fluid dissolved in water. You can mix the solution using a plastic spoon, because a metal spoon may get corroded. Find a cooking pot and line the bottom and sides with aluminum foil. The foil protects the pot’s surface from tarnish. Once you have lined the pot, pour your solution into the pot. Place the charms into the solution individually, making sure they rest at the bottom of the pot and don’t touch each other. If the pieces of silver touch, they could transfer the tarnish onto each other or get scratched.
Tarnish is actually a silver oxide, so if you simmer the solution for two or three minutes , the oxide will break down and the freed oxygen will bind with the aluminum ions in the foil to form a new oxide, leaving the silver jewelry pure and shiny. Drain the fluid and rinse the jewelry in clean, cold water. Let your charms bracelet dry on a soft towel. If you try to dry silver by rubbing with tissue or a towel, the silver may scratch, so let the air circulation dry it.