How to Keep Your Silver Jewelry from Tarnishing
You might own a beautiful piece of silver jewelry at some point in your life, but you must remember that if you do not take care of it, that piece of jewelry will get tarnished.
Many environmental factors can cause tarnishing such as moisture in the air, body oils, salt, and even other metals. A simple contact with newspaper, wool, or even rubber proves to tarnish your silver beauties.
However, despite all of this, you can still take steps to ensure that your silver jewelry does not tarnish. Here are those steps:
Featured Left: Lifetime Friendship Heart Necklace in Sterling Silver
Have a ‘Last On, First Off’ Rule
You should never apply makeup or take off your makeup while wearing your silver jewelry. Also, putting on perfume, lotion, or hairspray should be avoided with jewelry on. Hence, the perfect way to wear your jewelry is if you put it on at the time you leave your house for any occasion and then take it off the first thing you come back. Wearing jewelry while swimming, in the hot tub, or taking a shower also makes it dull, and food, drinks, and chemically treated wooden surfaces are poison for your silver buddies.
Dry Your Jewelry with Care
Before you put your silver jewelry away, be sure to clean it carefully and softly using a cotton cloth. This will help to clean all the moisture as well as body oils sticking to your jewelry. Keep in mind to not use tissues or paper towels during the cleaning process.
Featured above: XO Heart Bangle in Sterling Silver
Wrap Each Jewelry Individually
Use an anti tarnish cloth and wrap each piece of your jewelry individually. This individual wrapping will help to cut down on metal and air exposure as well as reduce the risk of any scratches taking place.
Store Your Jewelry in an Anti-Tarnish Cloth Lined Compartment or Drawer
Once you have wrapped each piece of jewelry into an anti tarnish cloth, be sure to store them in special boxes or bag that will never allow tarnishing to take place. Always stay away from plastics that have sulfur compounds in them as well as rubber bands that have the potential of releasing sulfur and speeding up the tarnishing process.
Have Anti-Tarnish Strips Within Your Jewelry Compartments
Certain things like the activated charcoal packs and silica drying packets help to reduce moisture in the places where you have stored your jewelry. You must also keep your silver jewelry away from direct sunlight.
Prevention is always better than cure in these cases. However, if your jewelry does end up getting tarnished, then you should try getting rid of the tarnish yourself by cleaning with a soft cotton cloth and then applying a few drops of dishwashing detergent that is mild and free from phosphate and lemon scent. This should all be done using lukewarm water. If that does not work out for you, then take your jewelry to a professional silversmith so that they can take care of the problem for you.
So what are you waiting for? Start caring about your silver jewelry right now before they become a victim of tarnishing. Featured below: Celtic Knot Silver Earrings.