Jewelry is one of the best ways to express your style and personality, but sometimes your favorite pieces need a little attention to keep them from tarnishing.
Over time, some metal jewelry can tarnish if it is not regularly cleaned or maintained, giving your favorite piece a dull appearance and causing it to lose its shine. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent your jewelry from tarnishing.
What is jewelry tarnish and what causes it?
Tarnish is a dull, discolored area on a piece of jewelry. It occurs when the metal reacts with oxygen and liquids such as perfumes or lotions. Tarnish forms a coating on your jewelry, giving it a discolored appearance. Although tarnish can be removed from most types of metal, it is best to prevent it in the first place.
Metals most prone to tarnishing
While your environment certainly plays a role in how quickly your jewelry tarnishes, some metals are more prone to tarnishing than others.
Gold vermeil
Vermeil, also known as gold-plated silver, is made by layering 14- or 18-karat gold over a sterling silver base. Because this metal is coated in gold, gold vermeil is unlikely to tarnish—but if it does, gold vermeil tarnish can be easily removed by polishing.
Gold vermeil jewelry takes much longer to tarnish, but it is important to keep your pieces in a soft pouch and in a cool place to prevent scratches and tarnishing.
Gold-plated jewelry
Gold-plated jewelry, such as rings, is made from a base metal, such as brass or copper, with a thin layer of gold bonded to it. Gold-plated jewelry contains a small amount of gold, usually less than 0.05%. Although flash-plated jewelry is unlikely to tarnish, the gold finish wears away over time, revealing the color of the base metal underneath.
Although the jewelry may appear discolored, it is not tarnished. Depending on how often flash-plated jewelry is worn and how it is stored, it can last up to 5 years or even longer.
Solid gold jewelry
Pure gold has a warm, shiny tone and is a soft, precious metal that does not tarnish, but it can scratch. When gold is mixed with other metal alloys to create 10k, 14k, 18k, and 24k gold, it becomes more prone to tarnishing. Higher-karat gold alloys, such as 14k and 24k, are the least likely to tarnish, while 10k gold jewelry can tarnish if worn daily.
To preserve your gold jewelry, keep it away from bleach and other cleaning products to prevent discoloration—and if it does tarnish, there are ways to remove the tarnish.
Sterling silver jewelry
Composed of 92.7% silver and 7.5% other metals, this precious metal alloy is a standard material in high-quality jewelry. When sterling silver is exposed to salt air, chlorine, moisture, and cosmetics, it can tarnish. However, there are many ways to prevent and remove tarnish from silver.
3 tips to prevent your jewelry from tarnishing
Protect your favorite jewelry from tarnishing with these three tips:
- Store your precious metals in a cool, dark place. Protect your jewelry from oxidation by keeping it in a jewelry box or soft pouch.
- Wipe your jewelry with a polishing cloth. For silver or vermeil jewelry, frequently polish your pieces with a soft polishing cloth. You can even wipe them with mild dish soap and warm water to remove dirt or light tarnish.
- Keep your jewelry dry. Avoid wearing your jewelry in the shower, at the beach, or in the pool to protect it from moisture and chemicals that can cause it to tarnish.
How to clean tarnished gold and silver jewelry?
Follow these simple steps to clean your jewelry at home and remove tarnish from your favorite pieces:
- Choose the right polishing product. For delicate gemstones and precious jewelry, you can use a non-abrasive product. To clean vermeil or gold jewelry, you can use a mixture of mild dish soap and warm water. And for your sterling silver jewelry, remove tarnish with a mixture of baking soda and water.
- Use a soft cloth if possible. A soft cloth will help prevent scratches and remove any dirt buildup around the edges of your jewelry. Dip the cloth in the polishing or cleaning product and gently rub your jewelry, then remove the mixture.
- Rinse and dry. After cleaning, rinse your jewelry again and pat it dry before storing it—water can cause tarnish!
Although tarnish is common, you can protect your favorite jewelry by cleaning it frequently, wearing it properly, and keeping it dry.
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