Does Sterling Silver Tarnish?

Have you ever wondered why sterling silver pieces of jewelry turn black? What could be the silver polishing methods? Below you can find answers to these questions including tips and tricks for polishing silver at home.

No matter how well we use our beloved pieces of silver jewelry, they unfortunately happen to oxidize and tarnishes from time to time. In this article, we explain why silver jewelry turns black and what you can do to prevent this. It is obvious that silver lovers will not be pleased when their jewelry turns black, but the good news is that they can be polished to shine once again. Silver reacts with sulfur, sulphate and hydrogen in the air as well as in liquids such as water, cleaning chemicals, lotion, etc. Due to this physical reaction, a specific kind of malformation occurs in the structure of the substance. 

Do not say goodbye to tarnished sterling so soon!

That’s how sterling silver jewelry tarnishes and presents an unpleasant appearance. Also, this can cause allergic reactions when it comes into contact with the skin, since sterling silver rings, necklaces, and earrings are in constant contact with the body, they react with a set of substances such as sweat, perfume and cosmetic products which can further increase the pace of darkening. Just as you can polish your sterling silver jewelry at home, we rather recommend that you seek professional help for fine jewelry such as rings and earrings. The main reason is that while attempting to polish your jewelry at home, you may unintentionally cause permanent damage and say goodbye to what you love to wear very much.

How can sterling silver be polished safely at home?

Similar to whitening teeth, substances such as baking soda, lemon and vinegar play the leading roles in polishing sterling silver jewelry. Another example can be toothpaste. You can add certain amounts of these products to water and use the mixture to polish your sterling silver jewelry through soft brushing or gentle rubbing. In addition, other strong chemicals such as ammonia can be effective but at the same time dangerous. 

However, it should be remembered that certain sterling jewelry may possess unique characteristics and be more sensitive to chemical formulae than anticipated. Therefore, it will be more beneficial to get professional help since the process of polishing silver jewelry, which will yield much better results when in professional hands.