| Silver jewelry will tarnish over time. Tarnishing is a natural process caused by oxidation. Tarnish does not damage the silver and can easily be removed by rubbing the piece gently with a soft, treated polishing cloth. If used regularly, a polishing cloth can keep tarnish from building up. If you wear your sterling pieces regularly, your body oils help reduce tarnishing.
When cleaning any jewelry, it is recommended that you use a mild soap and water solution and pat dry. Professional polishing cloths can be used,but care should be taken in using a clean area of the cloth each time. If you use an old area it will contain tiny abrasive fragments that can scratch a highly polished, or enameled jewelry piece.
Do not use tarnish-removing dips, especially as many of these pieces have decorative oxidation. This lends the piece an antique look. Using dips could remove this altogether.
Never use silver cleaners on semi-precious stones as the stone may lose its luster.
Do not wear your piece while bathing, swimming, doing dishes, cleaning with chemicals, or anything else where the jewelry would come into contact with abrasive soaps or chemicals.
When you are not wearing your silver pieces, store them in the gift bags your silver jewelry arrives in. Keep the pieces separate to avoid scratching and in a cool dry place.
This will keep your silver jewelry looking stunning for years. |
