Sterling Silver Cleaner
Hmm, sterling silver cleaner sounds like something I should be able to use on my sterling silver jewelry, right? Wrong. A customer called and said that a bracelet she received as a Christmas gift had tarnished and so she cleaned it with sterling silver cleaner. Now it was more tarnished and the oxidation on the letter beads was gone. She said I should replace the bracelet because it was worthless and ruined…her daughter had wasted her money on a gift she couldn’t wear. She implied that I had a sub-standard product and I would be a bad business person if I didn’t do as she asked. Huh?
The care card that comes with each bracelet includes the following instruction: “Never use any kind of jewelry cleaner or dip.” She said that sterling silver cleaner was not a “jewelry cleaner” and that I should have specified that “sterling silver cleaner” was not permitted. I thought I was being pretty clear when I said “never” and “any”, but I guess she misunderstood.
I offered to use my knowledge and experience to clean her bracelet, but told her I could not replace it. Please, please follow the care instructions for your jewelry - they are there for a reason. If you have questions, just ask!
