Eight Ways to Prevent Tarnish and Keep Your Silver Jewelry Clean

Tarnish on silver is caused when the metal reacts with sulfur, a chemical found in the air, wool, and foods such as onions and eggs. Of course, there is no getting around exposing it to air! But don’t despair as there is a lot to do to keep your jewelry looking awesome whenever you reach to wear it!

Here are 8 ways to prevent tarnish and keep your jewelry looking amazing:

1. Wear it often: Believe it or not, your skin's natural oils will help keep silver
jewelry shiny. One of the easiest ways to prevent tarnish is to simply wear your
silver often as opposed to letting it sit in a jewelry box unworn.

2. Remove during household chores, excising, showering or bathing, swimming,
hot tubs, saunas, and gardening: Substances with additional sulfur like household
cleaners, chlorinated water, perspiration, and rubber will accelerate corrosion and tarnish. It's a good idea to remove your sterling silver jewelry beforehand.

3. Keep out of direct sunlight: Before you hit the beach or pool, be sure to remove your silver jewelry. Sunlight can cause silver to tarnish as well.

4. Put your jewelry on last: For generations, women have been putting their jewelry on last and that's for good reason! Lotions, makeups, hair sprays, and perfumes will accelerate tarnishing.

5. Use an air-tight container: any container can be used to store your silver, as long as it's air-tight. Zip-lock bags are great, but you can also find specialty jewelry bags for a more attractive option.

 6. Keep in a cool, dark place: as mentioned earlier, sunlight, heat, and moisture accelerate tarnishing. Be sure to keep your silver in a cool, dark place. Store pieces individually: storing your pieces separately prevents any chance of jewelry scratching or tangling with each other.

7. Store jewelry with chalk to absorb the moisture and help prevent tarnish. Or use silica packs that you get when you buy new shoes or vitamins, etc.

8. Do not store in a paper, cardboard, or cotton-filled boxes: these boxes may contain traces of sulfur which will contribute to tarnishing.

Of course, you can also buy Argentium sterling silver jewelry, which is tarnish resistant! You can find Argentium Jewelry at Pure Whimsy Jewelry.