Caring for Your Meditation Ring
How to maintain your MeditationRing
It is actually quite easy to maintain your MeditationRing, and in order to maintain its beauty, brightness and shine, we must first remember that silver is a base metal that comes from the earth, and reacts to the environment around it. For example: when oxygen or sulfur, two elements that are present around us all the time, come into contact with silver, they chemically bond to its surface and cause the silver to appear dirty or discolored. This color changing process is called tarnishing.
Fortunately, caring for your MeditationRing is extremely simple. Understanding the facts about what your MeditationRing is made of, and knowing that color change is natural and occurs with all silver items, I’m sure that puts your mind at ease. First, let’s learn a few more things about the base metal of your .925 sterling silver MeditationRing.
Preventive care
We encourage you to wear your MeditationRing as much as possible. Not only will the calming spiritual qualities help your soul, but you can prevent tarnishing by wearing your MeditationRing often. The oils in your skin will “clean” the silver and keep it shiny by rubbing it while wearing your MeditationRing. However, you should also consider that everyone’s body is a little different and the amino acids in human sweat contain sulfur or sulfides, and the presence of sulfur or sulfides will speed up the tarnishing process. Changes in hormonal balance during adolescence or during life changes in women have been known to alter body chemistry. Medications or chemotherapy can also affect body chemistry. Certain cosmetics and skin lotions can also accelerate the tarnishing of silver. All of these factors combined with your body and its natural chemistry will affect how you care for your MeditationRing. Lotions, cosmetics, hair spray and hair products, as well as perfumes, are also "enemies" of silver and will accelerate tarnishing.
Some points about sterling silver
Knowing a few industry terms will help you understand the physical characteristics of your MeditationRing and how to care for it. The purity of the metal, for example, determines how malleable the silver is and how quickly it tarnishes: .950 sterling silver will bend more easily and tarnish more quickly than .925 sterling silver due to its higher purity. This explains why we use .925 sterling silver, as we want to ensure that our MeditationRings can be worn day in and day out and are strong enough to withstand daily use without damage. “Oxidized” is another term used to describe silver that has tarnished. Some of our styles use this process to intentionally allow certain parts of the jewelry to darken and oxidize, usually intricate details, to make them stand out more. However, this detail can be lost with excessive cleaning and polishing. Many of our MeditationRings such as Believe, Satori, Feel, Strength, Reflections, and Harmony have all been intentionally oxidized to create emphasis and depth. Be aware that the Earth MeditationRing has been intentionally oxidized to a large extent, so excessive cleaning will disrupt its intentionally darkened appearance.
Cleaning your MeditationRing
First, to remove excess oils, dirt, and perspiration, wipe your MeditationRing with a silver cleaning cloth. Fresh water or detergents are not necessary, simply wipe your MeditationRing dry. This wipe will help remove excess oils from your skin or perspiration, which will help keep your silver jewelry clean and bright for longer. You may also want to refrain from using hand sanitizer while your MeditationRing is on, and to further prevent tarnishing and discoloration, remove your MeditationRing before bathing or swimming, or submerging it in water, as silver will react with salts and/or other minerals in the environment.
Never clean your MeditationRing with silver jewelry cleaner or cleaning solutions containing abrasives or ammonia, as the harsh chemicals will remove any intentional black or "oxidized" coating we have deliberately created.
Finally, after wiping your MeditationRing with your cleaning cloth, store it either in the provided satin pouch or in a sealed bag to prevent further tarnishing and scratches, and store your MeditationRing in a cool, dry place.
Polishing
Simply buffing your MeditationRing with a dry microfiber cloth works well when the tarnish is not too severe. This is also the best method to clean your oxidized MeditationRing because you can avoid intentionally tarnished areas.
Silver is soft and can be scratched easily. You can use a silver polishing cloth to polish your items, but a lint-free flannel or microfiber cloth will also work. Do not use paper towels or tissues to polish your jewelry as they contain fibers that can scratch the silver.
When polishing, use your microfiber cleaning cloth by wrapping it around both the outside and inside of your MeditationRing. Rotate your MeditationRing as you would rotate the bands around the base of the MeditationRing when wearing it. This motion mirrors the grain of the silver. Do not use circular motions, as this can magnify tiny scratches. Also, change sections of your cloth frequently to avoid reapplying tarnish to the silver. You can use a cotton swab to get to small, detailed areas.
Can you use commercial silver cleaning products?
Commercial silver polishes and tempers are easy to find and use, but they have several serious drawbacks. For starters, the fumes from silver polishes can cause damage or even death if inhaled in an unventilated room. The strong solvents in these products may also require special hazardous waste handling to prevent groundwater contamination or other environmental damage. Additionally, commercial silver cleaners can actually damage your silver by removing the anti-tarnish coating.
One thing to note about commercial cleaning products is that while they may provide a temporary shine, the pieces will dull much faster and will need to be cleaned more frequently once you have degraded the surface with these commercial grade products.
Your MeditationRing is ready to shine!
Your MeditationRing can provide you with many years of pleasure and happiness, and even become family heirlooms. Remember, your MeditationRing is handcrafted in .925 sterling silver, and undergoes rigorous quality checks to ensure that each MeditationRing is perfect for each of its owners. While tarnishing can occur, with the simple measures mentioned above, your MeditationRing will always look perfect, priceless, and ready for you to spin and make wishes on for many years to come!