When worn on a regular basis silver jewelry usually does not significantly tarnish. Storage for a prolonged time causes silver jewelry to tarnish. Contact with rubber bands may cause tarnish - the sulfur in rubber is a catalyst for tarnish. Taking a medication that changes the acidity of your skin may cause silver jewelry to tarnish.

Tips for Keeping your Jewelry Looking New and Shiny

To care for your jewelry and keep it clean and ready to wear, gently wipe off excess make-up and skin oils after each wearing.   Use a nub free, 100% cotton cloth and gently wipe the piece clean using only the soft pads of your fingers. 

To keep your silver tarnish-free, frequently clean your silver in mild dishwashing liquid diluted in water. Thoroughly rinse jewelry after cleaning and dry with a soft cloth until it's completely dry. Store silver in a dry container or a plastic bag with anti-tarnish paper.

To remove excessive tarnish, polish with a 100% cotton cloth and a good nonabrasive metal cleaner.   Never use anything but 100% cotton as a polishing cloth since paper, polyester, and coarse fabrics often contain wood fibers or synthetics. These materials may impart fine scratches in the metal, especially on sterling silver since it is a very soft metal and can be easily marred.

Important Warnings about the Care of Fine Jewelry

Always remove your rings and fine jewelry before using any product that contains bleach. Bleach can cause gold and other metal alloys to breakdown leaving the metal irreparably damaged. This includes removal prior to use of swimming pools and hot tubs, as chlorine products are added to the water to prevent bacteria growth.

Specially purchased jeweler's cloths will keep your jewelry clean and shiny, however be sure to replace cloths when they become soiled since the dirt and grit left on the cloth from previous uses will now leave scrapes and pits in the piece you are trying to clean and polish.

Never use toothpaste or other abrasives to clean metal or stones.  You will find countless websites that recommend toothpaste as a cleaner, but this is not an accepted practice by fine jewelers.

During storage pin stems and the edges of other jewelry can easily scratch soft stones like lapis, malachite, turquoise, amber and opals. Protect these gemstones by wrapping each piece in jeweler's tissue and storing separately.

Ultrasonic Cleaners

Ultrasonic cleaners are great for cleaning some jewelry but they can damage many gemstones and the chemicals are not recommended for pearls and many other fine stones. Repeated use can also loosen the settings and you could lose your precious gems.

Other Common Chemicals and Solutions to Avoid

Besides chlorine bleach, denatured alcohol, turpentine, acetone, and ammonia can cause harm.  These chemicals can dull or even pit the surface on softer gemstones.  Petroleum based products can actually "melt" amber if allowed to remain on the stone and they can do significant damage to pearls.

Be very careful when using any soaking method to clean jewelry that has soft stones such as amber, lapis lazuli, or turquoise.  Extended soaking in any solution may harm the polish on the stone. Be sure to remove any remnants of cleaning products from gemstones and rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Gems requiring special care:

Opals require special care. Never use an ultrasonic, never use chemicals and avoid heat. Do not place your opal ring on the windowsill as strong sunlight may dry out the water in opals, which could cause hazing or color change.

Pearls. Protect from scratches; perfumes and household chemicals, which can wear away the nacre or cause color change.