I've had so many customers talk to me about their tarnished silver jewellery which leads to the conversation around how it can't be genuine silver because it has discoloured. They come to me asking if it is genuine silver and anxious that they will get stung with some fake silver.
However, I'm here to tell you that real silver does tarnish!
With every sale I make at a market, I always include a care card in the bag and a little polishing cloth in the bottom of the box. My care card includes a brief description on how you can keep your silver jewellery as shiny as possible for as long as possible.
Let me tell you a little about the tarnishing process. Your silver will develop a coating of tarnish on the top of your silver which will present as either a yellow, brown, black or grey colour change from the usual bright and shiny silver colour. This unattractive colour is caused from the silver being exposed to gasses which contain sulphur, found in the air.
Sterling silver, as many of you know is known as .925 sterling silver. The .925 comes from the amount of silver that is present in your jewellery, 92.5% silver, to make the metal up to 100%, the remaining 7.5% of the components are generally copper. Copper is gorgeous when polished but it does tarnish very easily.
The best way to keep your silver looking fresh, shiny and new is to keep it locked in an airtight sealed bag or box and never ever let it come out. But where's the fun in that?? I don't know about you, but I want to wear my silver ALL THE TIME! So the best way to look after your silver if you do actually want to wear it is to store it (dry) in a box or bag when you're not wearing it, try to avoid wearing it when using cleaning products/chemicals and actually, this may surprise you after reading the blog this far...actually wearing your jewellery does help to prevent tarnishing due to the natural oils in your skin which forms a protective barrier against the tarnish inducing gasses!
But, no doubt your silver will at some point tarnish. The best way to deal with this is to use the cleaning cloth I give you in person (don't forget to look inside your box after you've purchased from me!), use a silver dip (it stinks but it's very effective!) or create your own tarnish removing substance at home! This can be done with boiling water and baking soda in foil, brush with toothpaste...and more! There are lots of ideas online, none of which I can personally vouch for because I've always used a cloth or dip.
I hope that has been helpful and I've cleared up some tarnishing myths for you!!
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