I just tumbled polished some silver focal beads that I believe are Thai silver. They came out sort of greyish-bluish and shiny, not the shiny silver color I expected. I have polished lots of silver in my tumbler with stainless steel shot and Dawn dish liquid and it has come out beautifully. Is there something different with the Thai silver that caused this to happen? Actually, the pieces are rather pretty in the color they came out in, but it's not what I really want. Did I ruin them or is there a way to restore the original color?

 Thanks,

SueW

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Hi,

I see you get no answer since yet.

Thai silver contains all sorts of metals, at least it contains silver (Ag).   Mostly it is an alloy with a lot of zinc. Sometimes it is silver plated. If you tumble such an alloy, it get grey to black. I think this effect is not reversible. Maybe you can silver coating it again.

If you buy silver jewellery  you must always have a look  whether it is stamped with 835, 925, 935 or with a moon or half-moon and with a hallmark. Such fantasy names like Thai silver or Indian silver are always dubious and contains very seldom pure silver.

Edmund

Thanks Edmund. I had no idea the Thai silver had such a variety of metals. I guess I learned an expensive lesson, but many times that's how we learn! I appreciate your help. Actually, it is not a bad look. I may just patina some chain to go with the pieces and it could be a nice look!

SueW