Why Does Sterling Silver Tarnish and How to Prevent it?

When I first started hand making jewelry I had no idea how easily sterling silver tarnishes. During that time I became fascinated about the chemistry behind why sterling silver tarnishes. My interest lead to exploring ways to prevent tarnishing. After years of research and experimenting the results were consistent, sterling jewelry eventually tarnishes. Although discouraging I did discover a few techniques that slowed the tarnishing process significantly I am excited to share with readers. In this blog article "Why Does Sterling Silver Tarnish and How to Prevent it?" I discuss why sterling silver tarnishes, how to prevent it, my personal tarnishing experiences and my three favorite tarnish prevention techniques. 

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Why Does Sterling Silver Tarnish?

So why does sterling silver jewelry tarnish is a question many people are curious about. Sterling tarnishes when sulfur, moisture, sunlight and chemical comes in contact with the silver metal. After that occurs the sterling metal  tarnishes by corroding the top layer of the silver causing the metal to change a black dark gray color. Tarnishing can happen very quickly or slowly over time. The tarnishing process depends on environmental factors and the amount of toxin exposure. The good news is that sterling silver pieces can be cleaned and look gorgeous again. The bad news, cleaning it is time consuming especially if you have a lot of sterling pieces. Although you can clean it, anyone who has a lot of sterling pieces or sells it wants to limit their time cleaning large amounts of silver. So, then what are the best practices for reducing your cleaning time?

My Personal Tarnishing Experiences

I have had many experiences with sterling tarnishing that has left me feeling defeated, yet determined to figure out the best technique to prevent it. As an independent artist selling my work at outdoor art shows and festivals makes it especially challenging keeping  sterling jewelry clean. Unfortunately, participating in outdoor shows exposes all of my sterling jewelry pieces to endless environment pollutants. This makes my job of keeping sterling jewelry clean time consuming. Art shows and festivals are filled with pollutants - sun, smog, smoke, chemicals and dirty fingers to name a few. The likelihood of sterling jewelry pieces tarnishing quickly is a given. The million dollar question then is how does one prevent tarnishing or slow the process down? 

How to Prevent Sterling Silver From Tarnishing?

Silver will eventually tarnish no matter how hard you work to keep it away from pollutants. There are many tips on how to prevent tarnishing. If you want to decrease tarnishing one can store pieces in tarnish resistant bags. I have tried this and continue using this method with my traveling business. Although this helps, it doesn't prevent it hundred percent. If you want to explore this method I recommend using Intercept® Translucent Anti-Tarnish Plastic Bags and tray sheets. I have found this to work for a few months, but ultimately I still see some tarnishing. 

When you are outdoors keep your jewelry out of the sun. If you are indoors keep sterling away from incandescent light bulbs (which gives off gas) and natural gases from stoves. If you are going to be outdoors for long periods of time just be prepared to clean your jewelry. Finger prints are another big tarnishing contributor. The more fingers that touch a sterling piece the more toxin exposure. Surprisingly, putting jewelry next to food containing eggs, salt and water will start the tarnishing process as well. If you love beauty products keep them away from your sterling pieces. Perfumes and cosmetics both contribute to tarnishing jewelry. I recommend putting your jewelry on after using beauty products. This includes hairspray! Stay away from sulfur water if you want your jewelry to be tarnishing free. Swimming pools, hot tubs and ocean water are contributors to tarnishing your beautiful jewelry. When traveling you may want to consider removing your silver jewelry when visiting highly pollutant countries- pieces can tarnish within hours. When storing your jewelry keep pieces in cool dry areas. Using acid free tissue paper when wrapping jewelry is another great way to prevent tarnishing. 

My Three Favorite Tarnish Prevention Techniques

Drum roll.... I saved the best tips for last! These are my three favorite tarnish prevention techniques. The first is to apply Silver Glory® to your jewelry. It is a temporary protective shield against tarnishing and this use is ideal for jewelers. It requires carefully using gloves and takes a little more time than just using a special cleaning cloth. Early last year I experimented with applying Silver Glory® to a ring collection I handmade and was thrilled with the results. The collection I applied Silver Glory® to was exposed to several outdoor and indoor shows for months, resulting in no tarnishing. The downside is it takes time to apply it to jewelry and can't be applied with pieces that have gemstones. Overtime Silver Glory® will rub off, therefore I avoid using cleaning clothes until it starts to tarnish. In my opinion this product is certainly worth the benefits.

The second tip is to design with Argentium silver versus traditional sterling. Argentium silver is seven times more tarnish resistant than sterling silver. No silver material is 100% tarnish free. Argentium silver is more pure than traditional sterling silver which is 9.25 pure silver. Previous Argentium silver contained 93.6% pure silver and in 2024 the metal was revised, now containing 94% purity. Argentium silver metal is hypoallergenic also known to fight infections and is associated with antibiotics along with skin repair. I appreciate Argentium silver's higher quality material and the benefit of resisting fire-scale during soldering - a dream for the advanced metalsmith. To learn more about Argentium silver read my blog article -  What is Argentium® Silver? .

My third favorite technique is storing small sterling jewelry pieces in acrylic gem jars and place them in paper trays with a snap-close lids - this keeps light out. I use this method to store all of my pre-made earring wire designs I make in my studio before my busy show season. I also use this method to store pendant necklaces and smaller size earrings when I travel to shows. This is my preferred method for storing my personal jewelry as well - the gem jars fit nicely in jewelry boxes. The results are amazing and I have yet to see tarnishing. The trick is to keep the pieces stored in the containers without opening them until you need to use them or show to customers. I store the trays in a dark setting with the lid always closed. 

Video shows Lisa using the Midas® Silver Tarnish-Off product - giving instant results.

How to Clean Sterling Silver From Tarnish Buildup

Now that you have learned about tarnishing prevention I want to share tips on how to clean your sterling silver jewelry. Theses tips below can be practiced by both the jewelry enthusiast and professional jeweler. Before using any of the products suggested below make sure to always read the product manufactures instructions carefully to ensure you understand any risks. For example gemstone jewelry is very specific about how it can be cleaned. For example, many gemstones can not be steamed cleaned or put in an ultra-sonic cleaner. For pieces designed with gemstones read about "How to Clean Gemstone Jewelry", for pearls review "How to Care For Pearl Jewelry" and with leather materials read "Jewelry designed with metal and leather".

• Wash sterling silver jewelry with a mild soap and warm water before applying a sterling silver remover solutions. Never use abrasive scrubbers. 
  
• Keep your jewelry pieces beautifully polished with a Sunshine polishing cloth. This miracle yellow cloth leaves a deep, long-lasting luster to your jewelry pieces. The cloth should only be used on metals -  avoid other elements such as crystals, gemstones and leather. I offer these cloths to my customers and use them to quickly clean pieces when I am traveling. 
• Herman's Simply Clean™ Collectors Silver Polish and Blitz® Silver Shine Polish  applied with a wet cellulose sponge works very well for cleaning sterling. 
• For professionals using the Midas® Silver Tarnish-Off product gives instant results. Although it requires using gloves and not exposing the chemical on your skin the results are amazing. It is my preferred method for cleaning smaller sterling silver pieces. It removes the tarnish in seconds and saves me a lot of time. It took me years to find a product like this. The only thing I don't care for about it is the smell. 
• For larger quantities and more durable sterling pieces such as rings I use a rotary-tumbler with stainless steel shots mixed with a Super Sunsheen Burnishing Compound. This recommended method is for professional jewelers.  
• After cleaning your sterling silver pieces don't forget to store them properly to prevent tarnishing - cool dry storage areas.  

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This blog article is written by California Designer, Lisa Ramos who is a member of the International Gem Society (IGS) and Argentium Silver Guild.

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