Oxidized sterling silver jewelry is becoming increasing popular. Oxidizing the silver will give it a blackened or antique look. The easiest way to oxidize silver jewelry is to use liver of sulphur (LOS) or a brand called Black Max. However, some people are concerned that using these chemical ingredients which are toxic, which is why many people prefer to use natural methods to oxidize their sterling silver jewelry, including me.

The most popular way to oxidize sterling silver jewelry is to use boiled egg, like everyone has mentioned. The sulphur in the egg yolks oxidize the silver. However, you don’t need the egg whites. I usually just eat the egg whites.

All the described above method is true in theory, however, as my personal experience as jewelry makers, I have something to add:
- Oxidizing with eggs will NOT result in uniform results. Use liver of sulphur for uniform result. Of course, it’s a chemical method, not natural one.
- The result will be different than using liver of sulphur. Liver of sulphur is not considered a natural or organic method, by the way.
- 2 eggs are NOT enough to properly oxidize most sterling silver jewelry.

Here’s what I did and you could see the result on the photo below:
I hard boiled 2 eggs, and get the egg yolks while they’re still warm. I placed them in a ziplock bag with a pair of earrings I want to oxidize. I crushed the yolks and placed the earrings away from the yolks to avoid them getting dirty. After a few hours result, you can see the result on the first picture. I added the second pair of earrings, the long opalite briolettes ones and went to sleep.

After one night, the second pair did not develop oxidation like the first. Instead of turning black, the earrings looked like brass instead. So, I boiled 3 more eggs and took the egg yolks. Did the same with the previous method. After 4 hours, nothing changed. I had also similar experience before when the oxidation process stop after a time.

Here’s my conclusion: you need more eggs for larger amount of silver. The method works better when the eggs are warm. The longer you keep your jewelry with the eggs, the more it will oxidize, but after some time, the process stops. Also, not all oxidation results in blackened color, you might get several hues, from brass tone to dark gray. From my experience, using boiled egg method will never result in jet black color. So, if you have a seller who swears they use eggs method but their jewelry is very black and evenly color, you can be sure they do not use this method.

A word of caution: the boiled egg method might trigger allergy reaction to people who are allergic to eggs. Do not eat the eggs you have used to oxidize jewelry.

The second method is to use black salt from Indian grocery store. As I have not found black salt in the local market. I have not tried this method. As far as I know, this is far quicker way to oxidize your jewelry. Mix it with water and dip your jewelry into the mixture until it oxidizes.

Keep in mind that the silver itself does not oxidize, it is the metal that is mixed with the silver. The purer the silver, the harder it is to oxidize it. It is impossible to oxidize pure silver jewelry.

Well, though it's doubt-able you have access my husband found through his work crude oil will oxidizes silver like crazy. His necklaces were not only black but black with rainbow coloring.. we thought it was actual oil on them at first but nothing will take it off it turned out to be just extreme oxidization(so the cleaner explained). Actual oil may work, but he was exposing it to straight crude so I can't guarantee that.

Then there's the before mentioned boiled egg technique. This does work because any form of sulfur will also oxidize silver.

A list of sulfur containing foods:
http://mercurytalk.com/wiki/index.php/List_of_Foods_That_Contain_Sulphur

Though the best way would be to just go buy some. Pharmacies, gun shops, gardening stores, and hardware stores all carry forms of sulfur as it has uses in such applications.

You can even just throw it in some bleach and let it sit however using bleach will flake and eventually wear off. The achieved color is also more a dull grey than a black, shiny or colorful result. It's a good temporary result, real oxidization is hard to remove at a later date.

I have no experience in jewelry-making. I just love silver because my girlfriend gave me the most beautiful silver necklace ever and she wants to buy me a bottle of colloidal silver. It is traditional folk medicine in her country. I have a few pieces of silver coins, and I would like to try taking colloidal silver as a dietary supplement. I am interested in the anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties of silver, so I am thinking about turning my silver coins into silver spoons.

As you may know, sterling silver is a silver alloy, typically with copper or zinc. According to my readings now, sterling silver does not tarnish as gracefully as pure silver, which tarnishes only with sulfuric compounds and moist ozone. Sterling silver can easily tarnish, usually winding up looking ugly, because something other than silver actually causes the abrupt tarnishing. The typical copper or zinc in sterling silver reacts with oxygen in the air and makes the silver oxidize overly fast, resulting in an unnatural tarnish. Therefore, if you want a less artificial tarnish on sterling silver, you might want to try to naturally tarnish it in the same way you would pure silver. You can try the popular online "natural" procedure using eggs to tarnish sterling silver linked below, but know that this is not really naturally tarnishing silver. If this passes as natural for your purpose, a more "natural" way to tarnish sterling silver is to dip it in seawater. More artificial ways to tarnish sterling water include dipping it in chlorinated pool water or exposing it to sulfide-rich household items like doormats, latex gloves, wool and rubber bands.

The two stable isotopes of natural silver, 107 and 109, do not react with oxygen or moist air, but readily reacts to sulfur, hydrogen sulfide and moist ozone. One natural way oxidize pure silver is to leave it in an environment rich in sulfur or hydrogen sulfide such as natural gas and high-volcanic-activity areas. Another natural way is to expose pure silver to moist ozone. The city of Houston is not organic or natural by any means, but it is known for its high low-level ozone and high water vapor levels, so pure silver and sterling silver left outdoors in Houston has a relatively good chance of oxidizing "naturally." You can also try exposing silver to firewood or coal, which is known to be high in sulfur content. If you want to go semi-artificial, use an ozonizer and a humidifier in tandem.

Certain types of sterling silver are almost pure silver. These silver alloys naturally tarnish better, because they are deficient in other metals that are not known to give the elegant look of naturally-aged silver.

Lastly, I just wanted to mention that 99.99% pure silver wires are sold on the internet at reasonable prices.

You might want to investigate the area of "toning" in coin collecting. It seems that the most valuable silver coins are the ones that have oxidized naturally, over time, after being exposed to sulfur in the air. Some coins develop a beautiful rainbow of colors which is impossible to duplicate artificially. eBay even has a guide on how to detect artificially toned coins, so that buyers will not be duped into paying too much. However, these techniques maybe of use to you. Basically, it involves placing the coin in contact with paper that has had some sulfur incorporated into it, and keeping it in an enclosed space for a period of time, which may be many years. Can be very time consuming! The beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

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Boil an egg and peel it. While it's still hot, break the egg into pieces and put it into a tightly sealed container, along with the piece of sterling silver jewelry you want to oxidize. The container can be glass, or plastic.

Simply place your ring inside of this container and wait until it changes color of choice!

The second way would be to use a rotary tumbler.

there are several other methods, but these are for sure going to get you the most wanted results! Good luck!

One of the methods that are used to naturally oxidize sterling silver aside from those previous methods, especially silver wire is the utilization of "rotary tumbler (motorized rock tumbler) and polished steel shot, tumbling the piece for several hours, or until the desired luster is achieved. Using a wire brush (brass scratch-brush) or fine steel wool will also provide a soft, satin finish (burnished) to silver and gold."

Accordingly it was also stated that "any tarnish that builds up on the surface can be removed with a polishing cloth that is specifically designed for silver."

There are several methods that you can use to naturally oxidize sterling silver. One way is to use egg yolks, which contain sulfur. The sulfer in the egg yolks will oxidize the silver. If you are willing to use chemicals, Liver of Sulfur is a very effective product to use for oxidation. You can also use Black Max.

An easy and natural way to oxidize sterling silver using a boiled egg. The sulfur in the egg yolk will cause the sterling silver to oxidize. My grandfather used to make key chains as a hobby, he would often use sterling silver beads and/or wire. I've seen him use this technique many times, and it always worked well.

Put the silver into a container, an airtight plastic container, or even a ziploc bag will work fine. Then boil two eggs, remove the whites, and break the yellows up into small pieces, and place it in the bag. Be sure to shake the container or bag occasionally to redistribute the egg pieces and get an even oxidation. Check it after about 24 hours, if it is not dark enough, leave it for another day or two. When it reaches the desired level of oxidation, pull it out, and wash it with a gentle soap to remove any egg residue.

I actually have no personal experience with oxidizing sterling silver but here are very informative links that can help you:
Oxidize a Sterling Silver Necklace (this method uses liver of sulfur)
Guest Author - Chris Franchetti Michaels
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art28859.asp

If you want to oxidize your sterling silver without the use of chemicals, then see "How to Oxidize Silver with Egg Yolks"
http://www.wikihow.com/Oxidize-Silver-with-Egg-Yolks

Here's by using a boiled egg: How to Oxidize Sterling Silver With a Boiled Egg
http://www.ehow.com/how_5909528_oxidize-sterling-silver-boiled-egg.html#ixzz0sHBJ1Nbf

See this very helpful information also based on experience: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Jewelry-Gems-Minerals-689/Sterling-Silver-oxidation.htm

See also:
http://akacontrariwise.blogspot.com/2008/10/tutorial-how-to-oxidize-sterling-silver.html

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see we have family business of jewelry making, we doing all things manually using our tools like lighter, pinches,