SILVER LAW IN SPAIN
There are two laws:
1st or “high silver": Out of 1,000 components, at least, 925 will be fine silver (999.9 mil), and the remaining 75 will be of other harder metal.
2nd or “low silver": Out of 1,000 components, at least 800 will be fine silver (999.9 mil), and the remaining 200 will be of other harder metal.
GOLD LAW IN SPAIN
There are two laws:
1st , also called 18-carat gold: Out of 1,000 components, at least 750 will be of pure gold (999.9 mil) and the rest will be of other harder metal.
2nd , also called 14-carat gold: Out of 1,000 components , at least 585 will be of pure gold (999.9 mil) and the rest will be of other harder metal.
COLORS AND GOLD ALLOYS
ALLOYS:
24 carat gold (of a total of 1,000 components, 1,000 are fine gold)
18 carat gold (of a total of 1,000 components, 750 are pure gold)
16-carat gold (of a total of 1,000 components, 666 are pure gold)
14-carat gold (of a total of 1,000 components, 585 are pure gold)
12 carat gold (of a total of 1,000 components, 500 are pure gold)
GOLD COLORS:
Reddish gold. Add to fine gold, 33.33% of its weight in cooper.
Gold rose. Add to fine gold, 22% of its weight in cooper and 11.33% in silver.
Yellow gold. Add to fine gold, 16.5% of its weight in copper, and 16.5% in silver.
White gold. Add to fine gold, 33.33% of its weight in palladium.
Red gold. Add to fine gold, 33.33% of its weight in aluminium.
Blue gold. Add to fine gold, 33.33% of its weight in iron.
White gold. Add to fine gold, 11% of its weight in copper, and 22.33% in iron.
MELTING TEMPERATURE OF SOME METALS
Silver 960 º C
Gold 1,062 º C
Platinum 1755 º C
Palladium 1549 º C
Copper 1083 º C
Aluminium 655 ° C
lead 325 º C
Tin 235 ° C
Zinc 420 º C
HOW TO CLEAN GOLD?
The best and easiest cleaning way is by using water and soap, rubbing with a soft bristle brush, then dry using a soft and absorbent cloth. There are some cloths in the market, dry cleaning, especially designed for this purpose.
HOW TO CLEAN SILVER?
Silver should be cleaned manually, using a soft cloth impregnating the object to be cleaned. Then leave the solution applied to dry and then rub it with a cloth to wipe the solution, giving a radiant glow to the surface.
In parts of the piece with deep reliefs, should you remove any remaining dry (powder) of the liquid cleaner with a brush of medium hardness.
Objects intended to contain solid or liquid food, must be passed through water and dry quickly so that there are no stains caused by components water contains.
The products we can find on the market, generally, are all valid. We can recommend a silver clean solution with very good results that you can do at home and is also economical. This is a solution of ammonia and dolomite origin chalk or baking soda, in a ratio of eight parts of ammonia by two of the other element.
But undoubtedly, the best way to keep silver clean is to pass a very soft cloth every week, which will prevent rusting and therefore to become dark.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO PUT AWAY SILVER?
When you have to put it away for a long period, it’s best to put it in plastic or better yet, wrap it in the film used for food preservation and cooking. This will avoid exposure to air.
WHY SILVER is oxidized?
Oxidation is due to hydrogen sulphide, in a reaction called “redox” (oxidation - reduction). Silver in the presence of oxygen reacts with sulphur and hydrogen sulphide above, to form silver sulphide, which causes characteristic silver black stain.
Sometimes silver cutlery we use to eat becomes blackened because of this curious phenomenon. In your meals, you are bound to be eating mustard sauce, egg, mayonnaise or other food containing a phosphorous compound (the fetid odour of rotten eggs is precisely due to hydrogen sulphide).
Silver oxidizes rapidly on the coast and in wet areas than inland areas with dry climate. We will also have noted that in our homes during winter, silver cleaning takes less time than in warmer seasons, and this is due to the action of heating.
SILVER ENEMIES
Mainly anything containing sulphur in its composition. We must not keep silver for long periods wrapped in newsprint, as letters and illustrations are printed with ink containing a high sulphur concentration. It is not advisable to wrap it with rubber bands, as these contain sulphur as well. It is recommended not wrap the silver among papers that have been whitened by bleach, as these will turn it dull and grey.
Usually salad serving utensils are made with horn, wood, ivory or silver gilt, vinegar can also alter silver.
Salt also damages silver, actually in the event of long periods in contact with silver, it could erode it. This phenomenon has been observed in pieces recovered from old galleons wrecks coming from the New World.
ARE SILVER COATING TREATMENTS GOOD FOR SILVER?
We are totally opposed to any kind of coating.
Varnished or lacquered procedures, eventually loses their effectiveness, because they lose their elasticity as time passes by, becoming more and more rigid, cracked and sail, giving the surface an appearance of being "stunned", with no bright. A possible fixture is laborious and therefore expensive.
Rhodium is also applied to silver sometimes, which makes it loses its colour and characteristic brightness, giving the sensation of being any other piece of metal, not a silver object. As in the previous case the repair or restoration to its original state is very complicated.
We discourage treatments. Silver should be cleaned, as by doing that it will show its best brightness and colour, despite time passing by.