How to Keep Silver from Tarnishing? The fact that silver jewelry can tarnish does not mean you should refrain from buying and wearing this beautiful metal.

The best way to keep sterling silver from tarnishing is to take proper care of it. This includes restricting contact with water, chemicals, and other elements.

It is also important to store the jewelry separately in airtight packaging and avoid exposure to extreme temperatures.

Read below to learn more.

1. Keep Away from Moisture Your jewelry may be more vulnerable to tarnishing in water and humidity. Therefore, sterling silver jewelry should be kept in a cool, dry location like a container, jewelry box, or airtight bag. Also, before you put it in the package, all air must be drawn out so that no oxidation can occur. A common hack not discussed much is adding a few bits of chalk to your silver jewelry during storage. This absorbs any moisture and helps prevent tarnishing. To avoid potential scratching and tangling, store your jewelry pieces separately.

2. Invest in Silver Care Products Many silver maintenance solutions are available that inhibit or slow down the tarnishing process and keep your silver jewelry gleaming. Some popular silver care products include silver polishing cloths, silver polishes, silver tarnish inhibitors, and silver dips. These products are specially designed to help remove signs of tarnishing from silver jewelry. The silver jewelry polishing cloths and silver polish contain chemical compounds that help keep your silver jewelry shining and restore its original luster. Apart from these, get your silver jewelry regularly polished and cleaned by a professional jeweler.

3. Keep Harsh Chemicals at Bay Sulfates are abundant in hairsprays, shampoos, lotions, and perfumes. Whether it’s through airborne particles or residue on your hands, when these sulfates come into contact with silver, they form silver sulfide compounds and tarnish the jewelry. Follow the golden rule – ‘it should be the last item to put on and first to be taken off.’ To simplify, make sure you put on your silver jewelry after you’re completely dressed to avoid makeup particles or perfume coming into contact with it, and ensure that it’s the first thing you remove (yes, even before your makeup). Avoid touching the jewelry with lotion on your hands or while handling makeup.

4. Clean Sterling Silver at the Very Initial Stage of Tarnishing. Waiting until your sterling silver jewelry is significantly tarnished is not recommended, as getting rid of sulfide layers accumulated over the years can be challenging. Even professional cleaning techniques may not be able to restore the original appearance. Rather, clean it the moment you notice the first signs of tarnish beginning to develop. This will keep your jewelry looking new and maintain its luster.

5. Wear It Often Yes, you read that right. Saving your silver jewelry only for special occasions may speed up tarnishing. Whereas wearing it often can keep it looking lustrous for posterity. Confused? The natural oils in your skin protect the silver jewelry from interacting with the sulfur-producing gases in the air, thereby preventing tarnishing and maintaining the metal’s natural shine.

Guide to Styling Silver Jewelry for Different Moods and Occasions For endless reasons, sterling silver has been and will continue to be one of the top-selling metals. Since it is a durable metal, it will preserve its quality even when worn daily. The metal is resistant to scratches and doesn’t bend, buckle, or twist out of shape – it can’t get better than this for a jewelry metal.