Do It Yourself Silver Plating for Jewelry

Jewelry, like clothes, comes in and out of fashion. Your favorite jewelry may have been trendy last year, but looks outdated this year. Changing the finish of your favorite jewelry pieces can update their look and make them more versatile in your wardrobe. Silver plate your jewelry at home to give your favorite pieces the finish you want.

Instructions

1

Clean the surface of the jewelry with acetone to remove dirt and debris. Fingernail polish remover is an acetone cleaner and can be used for this. Rinse the jewelry with distilled water and dry it with a clean, lint-free cloth. This will give you a clean surface to work with and ensure the silver plating adheres to the metal.

2

Brush a thin layer of the silver-plating solution onto the jewelry with the cotton swab. The cotton swab will allow you to get the solution into the hard-to-reach areas of the jewelry. The solution will form a chemical reaction with the metal of the jewelry to coat the pieces with silver.

3

Allow the jewelry to sit, undisturbed, until the plating is completed. Polish the jewelry with a non-abrasive silver cleaner. Since the plating solution applies a thin layer of silver, an abrasive cleaner can wear it away.