How to Prevent Silver Jewelry from Tarnishing
You buy a beautiful piece of silver jewelry to accessorize your wardrobe. Six months later, you may see a trace of tarnish on your necklace. There are easy steps to protect your jewelry from tarnishing.
What Causes Tarnish?
Tarnish is a dull grey or black coating of corrosion that develops over silver, copper, brass, aluminum and other semi-reactive metals as they go through oxidation. The primary cause is chemicals contained in toiletries such as perfume, lotions and hair products. Additionally, perspiration can also discolor your sterling silver jewelry so do not wear your jewelry when doing yard work or when gardening.
Easiest Way to Prevent Tarnish
Since the chemicals in toiletries react with silver jewelry, care must be taken to avoid their interaction. Before putting on your jewelry, make sure that any lotion or perfume applied has soaked into your skin completely. Likewise, apply all hair products before putting on your jewelry.
The easiest way to prevent tarnish is to do a little cleaning maintenance. It is important to remove any substances that may have settled onto your accessories. When you are removing your jewelry, take a moment to wipe if off using a soft cloth. A flannel short or an old t-shirt are perfect choices. This will only take a few seconds and can save you time in the long run. Removing tarnish can be a time-consuming and arduous task.
How to Store your Silver Jewelry
Once you have cleaned your pieces, it is important to properly store your sterling silver jewelry. Other contributing causes of tarnish are light and air. In fact, the less that your jewelry is to exposed to these two causes, the greater the likelihood that your jewelry will remain tarnish free.
There are a variety of containers that will protect your silver jewelry pieces. First, the container must be airtight to be beneficial. An airtight jewelry box, a cloth bag and even a zip lock baggies are suitable containers. Another suggestion is to purchase a silver tarnish cloth from a local fabric store. You can cut pieces of it to fit inside the drawers or compartment of your airtight containers as additional protection.
Products to Use to Prevent and Treat Tarnish
No-Tarnish Strips or chalk can be placed in your containers when storing your sterling silver jewelry. They both work by absorbing the substances in the air that bring about corrosion. Both items should be changed with a new piece every two to three months. Also consider using acid-free paperstock if you are packing any jewelry tags, earring cards or any other paper goods in the same container with your jewelry.
If tarnish has begun to appear on your jewelry, there are treatment steps to follow. Simply wipe it clean using a silver cloth. This specialized cloth has two parts: a cleaning cloth and a polishing cloth. Most times this cloth will be able to get rid of the tarnish unless the piece is badly tarnished. Proper care and storage of your jewelry will ensure that it remains as beautiful as the day you purchased it.
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