www.925-1000.com

Hello,
I recently purchased a ring online. It has what appears to be an 830 hallmark, and from my research, it looks to be Danish circa 1960-70s. The seller listed the item as "Sterling Silver, Art Deco, 1940's" and described the hallmark as 800. I'm not sure which of us is wrong, but in any regard, it is terribly rusted and I need to clean it. I've looked at the different methods for cleaning silver and my questions are these: Does the foil and baking soda method matter or change if the silver is 800, 830 or of a higher grade (ie. Sterling)? Also, the ring's face patina looks much darker and rusted than the underside of the ring where the hallmark is, including the ring portion- they almost have a goldish tinge, plus the ring looks to have its own markings, not identifiable by any of the research I've done. Can anyone help me determine what the hallmarks possible are on inside of the ring itself, and what the best method for cleaning 800 or 830 silver is?
Thank you kindly for your help,
Sus
[img]il_fullxfull.1293437664_szej.jpg[/img]
[img]il_fullxfull.1293437794_rew2.jpg[/img]
[img]il_fullxfull.1340689831_80x3.jpg[/img]
[img]il_fullxfull.1340690023_8qsj.jpg[/img]

Ps. How do images get posted on here? None of the buttons above the posting box include downloading images off one's computer..

Hi and welcome to the Forum.

We do not have the facility to store your images - they must be uploaded to an online image host. The following should help you:

How to Add Images

Posting Requirements

Please embed your images rather than posting links and remember to use the 'Preview' button before submitting your post. If your images don't show up there we won't be able to see them either.

https://postimages.org (copy the 'Hotlink for forums' code) is recommended. Both sites allow your images to be resized during upload.

For a quick summary see:

http://www.925-1000.com/forum/viewtopic ... 82#p103282

Phil

Thanks Phil.

I believe I figured it out.

Your ring is not rusted. Rust is corrosion of the base material and a destructive process. Your silver ring is probably dirty and may have patina and surface oxidation. The uneven surface on the underside may come from the casting process.
In this section of the forum you find a lot of information on cleaning silver. Study them and follow the basic rule: No hard tools, ne chemical experiments. I would avoid a silver cleaning dip because of the stones and the green "emaille?"
I recommend you start with soap water and a toothbrush and wooden toothpicks. If this does not clean sufficiant use a soft silver polish. Be very careful with the emaille, it could flake off.
Kind regards, Jörg

Hi Joerg,

Thank you for your help. When I look at the face of my ring, I do not see silver. Not even antique 800-grade silver. I am confused by its very dark, dull grey and copper colours and how to remove the oxidization to bring the "silver" shine back- or even silver colour back if this is indeed an 800 or 830 silver ring. I was also wondering if anyone was able to verify this from the markings on the back. If those are simply markings but not indicative of silver, would using silver polish make whatever the material is (that the ring is made up of, not the green enamel) worse?

Kind regards,
Sus