Tarnishing of metals is naturally occurring and will happen simply from everyday interactions but do not panic! You can easily get your jewelry back to as good as new by implicating a few simple precautions and care.

Last On, First Off! To provide the best care for your jewelry, start by having your beautiful accessories be the last items you put on in the morning and the first items you take off at night. It may take a little getting used to but following these simple steps can make a world of a difference! To keep your jewelry in tiptop shape, you should also take it off when exercising, cooking, gardening, cleaning, swimming, and sleeping. Let me tell you why! Metal tarnishes due to high exposure to chemicals that can have powerful abrasives, acids, or alkaline that may weaken and distort it. Each of the above activities and habits named above can lead to corrosion and metallic abrasion.

Let’s start with exercising, we know it's great to keep our bodies moving but our jewelry is safer in its secured storage space when we are getting ready for a workout. Not only can jewelry easily break during workout sessions from snagging, but they can also easily be lost. A great workout leads to wetness, humidity, and sweat which are main conditions for tarnishing to begin. Also, sodium from sweat is another compound that doesn’t mix well with keeping metals, nice and clean.

This brings our attention towards cooking with jewelry on. Salty and oily foods may also lead to discoloration and tarnishing of silver and plated jewelry so when it comes time to cook, it's best to set your jewelry aside. Though you could prepare these meals with gloves, make sure you’re choosing a latex-free glove because again latex is a part of the list of things that may accelerate tarnish.

Getting ready to take a jump into the pool on a sizzling summer day?! Remember that prolonged exposure to chlorine, even in tap water can be damaging to our jewelry resulting in breakage and tarnishing. These concerns are also present in salt water. Not only can chemical reactions cause weakening and harm to our jewelry but when we are submerging in colder temperatures, in the case of wearing rings, our fingers may shrink leaving us more sustainable again, losing our precious jewelry!

Sleeping in jewelry can cause harm to the jewelry as well as ourselves. Our bodies can be unpredictable while we are snoozing and sometimes moving around and changing positions can cause scratches, dents, breaks, and even misplacement of our belongings.

So how can we clean our jewelry once it shows signs of tarnish or prevents them from occurring at all?

For a quick cleanup use an anti-tarnish cloth. Our site supplies an excellent 8inch x 10inch Connoisseurs Polishing Cloth – Item Number POL100, a cloth like this cleans and polishes. The white inner cloth holds a unique formula of precious metal-cleaning agents while simultaneously applying an anti-tarnish barrier. The outer cloth gently polishes & buffs to supply an unsurpassed high luster. And it is easy to use all you must do is gently rub gold, platinum, or silver jewelry with the white inner cloth where you will then notice the dirt and tarnish easily being removed onto the white cloth by special cleaning agents. Now use the other purple side of the cloth to buff and polish to a high luster.

An alternative do-it-yourself simple cleaning method consist of warm water and a couple of drops of non-toxic mild dish soap, creating a foaming mixture, and setting the jewelry piece inside for about five minutes. You may also use a soft or aby toothbrush if you feel necessary to get into the hard-to-reach spots. It is extremely important to fully dry your jewelry after washing it and to use a soft cloth. Some suggest using a club soda or sodium-free seltzer as a substitute if there is an accumulated about of dirt that can be seen, though warm water should do fine in most cases. It is important to use warm water and not cold or boiling because cold water can make grim tougher and boiling water may damage and crack certain stones that your jewelry incorporates. You may also buy an Ultrasonic cleaner which most jewelry stores obtain, they are very effective, fast, and efficient. Just be sure to research which stones and metals can withstand the ultrasonic waves. Precious metals silver, platinum, and golds will be fine, but anything plated would be damaged so stick to the polishing cloth or light soak with those.

Lastly, storing your jewelry is also a great way to ensure it always looks shiny and new. It is recommended that jewelry be stored in a cool and dry place to eliminate exposure to air and humidity. A hack to delay tarnishing and remove moisture from the storage space is to add small silica packets. (What else are we utilizing this for anyway?!!) Even chalk may help it absorb dampness in the area. Make sure each piece is placed separate from one another, most jewelry boxes are specially designed to incorporate this. Another reason why it is important to keep your jewelry separated, if not individually then by metal because the interactions of certain metals can again scratch or speed up tarnishing.  

That all being said, polish often and just be mindful that jewelry needs proper care too!