How to Tarnish or Age a Silver Necklace

1.

Slip on the gloves and fill one of the bowls with warm water. Add 1 tsp. ammonia and a bit of dishwashing detergent and swirl the water around to get the bubbles going. Dunk your silver necklace into the water and use the toothbrush to scrub the surfaces of the jewelry to remove any gunk and grime on the silver.

2.

Take the necklace out of the soapy water and let it dry on a layer of paper towels.

3.

Fill another bowl with 2 cups cool water. Add 1/4 tsp. liver of sulfur and stir the ingredients well.

4.

Fill the last bowl with 2 cups cool water and 1 tsp. baking soda. This is the neutralizing water to stop the tarnish of the jewelry.

5.

Hold the necklace under hot running water for a minute to raise the temperature of the silver.

6.

Dip the necklace into the tarnishing water and take it right back out again. Watch what happens to the silver as you hold it in your hand -- it should start to oxidize before your eyes. Want more patina? Dunk it again. Is it enough? Dip the necklace into the neutralizing water to stop the tarnish.

7.

Leave the jewelry in the neutralizing water for two to three minutes after you've created the amount of tarnish you want. This is where the tarnishing magic stops so your necklace doesn't get too dark.

8.

Take the silver jewelry out of the neutralizing water and start removing a bit of the tarnish here and there to create the look you want. One of the most common effects is to rub off the patina from the raised areas of the jewelry and leave the dark patina in the crevices and low areas. If you like this effect, get a small amount of baking soda on your fingertips and start rubbing it onto the raised areas of the silver to rub the patina off. Keep going with the baking soda until you have the look you want.

9.

Rinse the jewelry after you finish making the tarnish look just the way you want.