Care of your Silver Overlay Porcelain & Glass

The silver overlay porcelain or glass you buy from John Newton Antiques will already be in a clean polished state. To care for your silver overlay is quite easy…

In most cases:

You will only need to clean the silver three or four times per year. Generally, all you have to do is go over the silver with a Goddard’s or other make of silver cloth. Apply gentle pressure to the silver whilst polishing and you may see the cloth becoming a little grey/black. That tells you that you are removing the tarnish. Polish away until you are happy. Then, either leave it as it is, or wash the piece in lukewarm, soapy water and dry well.

General Cleaning & Care

Slightly tarnished?

If your item has a slight tarnish that the cloth has not removed. Then, simply purchase some jewellery cleaning solution Hagerty, Goddards, or other make. Simply, dip a cotton wool ball into the solution and begin to apply gently over the silver (wear gloves). You should soon see the solution reacting and the tarnish lifting. Continue doing this until you have covered the whole silver surface. Leave it a few minutes (3-5mins) and check. Repeat the process if you need. You can also use a very soft tooth brush for handles on cups or vases etc. Simply dip and brush and lightly brush any stubborn areas. Once you are happy, wash the piece in lukewarm soapy water and dry well. You can also use the silver cloth afterwards to re-buff.

**If for any reason your item has been packed away and is really looking tarnished. Don’t worry!**

Purchase Hagerty’s silver solution – others will work just as well, just do not use anything with a gritty/sandy base!

“We all get used to specific products that suit our needs.” (please make sure you read instructions and keep the area well ventilated and wear gloves).

If you decide to immerse your silver in the solution, keep checking, and do not leave the item in the liquid for more than 3-5 minutes (– it can effect the porcelain surface). Once immersed you start to see the solution reacting with the silver, showing the black changing colour to a greyish tone. Sometimes, it is good to use a very fine soft toothbrush to lift any stubborn marks, do this gently.

Once you have cleaned off the black tarnish, we then begin the process of polishing the silver. Once again, I find Hagerty’s silver polish/cream does the job really well for me. Once done simply wash the item in warm soapy water and rinse well. You can use the Goddards cloth as a final polish.