What is Tarnish and How Does It Affect Silver Jewellery?
Tarnishing in silver jewellery indicates a situation in which silver gets darkened or discolored with the passing of time. Tarnishing appears on the surface of the silver as yellow, brown, grey, & black that makes the silver jewellery dull by removing its natural shine & brightness.
Common Reasons of Silver Tarnishing -
There are many reasons which are responsible for tarnishing on silver jewellery -
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If silver is put down into a humid environment, then water molecules present in the air react with silver and form silver sulfide. It leads to dullness and discoloration.
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If you are habitual to wear silver jewellery on a regular basis, then sweat, body acids and skin oils can react with it easily. This speeds up the tarnishing process.
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Perfumes, sprays, lotions, & makeups can contain chemicals which react with silver. It is good to apply them before you wear silver jewellery. It reduces exposure between them.
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Storage of silver near rubber, painted wood, & open air can promote tarnishing.
- Exposure to cleaning agents, bleach or chlorine can increase tarnishing in silver and even corrode it.
- Acidic foods like - tomatoes, vinegar, & citrus can tarnish silver jewellery if you don’t clean it regularly.
How Tarnish Affects Silver Jewellery -
Silver tarnishing can affect your jewellery item so badly. Here are the results occurred due to tarnishing in silver like -
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Tarnishing causes silver to look dull and lifeless, taking its natural shine and reflective quality.
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Silver tarnishing can appear in many colours - black, brown, dull yellow, gray etc and your silver jewellery looks old and dirty.
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Prolonged tarnishing causes silver to corrode and it can potentially destroy the metal.
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Prolonged tarnishing is difficult to remove and you have to take help of professional cleaners and potential chemicals. It is a costly phenomenon.
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You can’t wear tarnished silver jewellery with other jewellery pieces and its utility is minimized.
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Heavy tarnished silver jewellery can create skin discoloration in some people having sensitive skin. It creates black or green marks on your skin.
- Tarnished silver jewellery items are also degraded in their price.
Can Tarnish be Prevented? -
You can follow silver jewellery tarnishing by following the given suggestions -
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Keep your silver jewellery in airtight containers or zip-lock bags to limit exposure to air and moisture. You can also use silica gel packs or activated charcoal in storage.
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Remove silver jewellery before using perfumes, lotions & other cleaning agents.
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Avoid putting silver jewellery in a humid environment for a long time.
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Wipe with a soft, lint-free polishing cloth to remove oils and residue.
- You can also use silver anti-tarnishing sprays or coatings to stop the tarnishing for a long period of time.
Can Tarnishing be Reversed? -
Silver tarnishing can be reversed by following these suggestions -
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You can make a cleaning solution at your home by using baking soda, aluminum foil, and hot water and apply gently on your silver jewellery.
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Chemical dips or pastes especially made for silver can easily clean heavier tarnish but use it cautiously.
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Use silver polishing cloths for light tarnishing and you can easily use it for quick and regular maintenance.
- You can also take the help of professional cleaners. They use ultrasonic cleaners to clean silver jewellery but only on specific items.
Ultrasonic Silver Jewellery Cleaner
Silver tarnishing is a natural but frustrating degradation process which affects even the highest quality silver jewellery items. Silver is known for its shine and brightness and tarnish can reduce it to any certain limits.
If you want to save your silver jewellery from tarnishing, then it is needed for you to understand its reasons. Routine factors like - air exposure, humidity, body oils, & wrong storage methods can easily accelerate the tarnishing process. Tarnish does not just affect the appearance of silver but it can also lead to surface deterioration in a long period of time.
Ultimately, the tarnish can easily be reversed and removed and silver jewellery can be restored easily with its original shine. You have to adopt home cleaning methods and professional cleaners for delicate items. For anyone who wears regular silver jewellery, regular maintenance is the primary factor.
Note - You can also use our silver solution which is completely capable of restoring the original shine and removing tarshing effectively in your silver jewellery.