If you have any jewelry, one of the things you worry most from time to time is whether they will tarnish. It’s obvious that anything that you own will suffer the effects of wear and tear over time. However, you can do so much to keep your jewelry looking good for a very long time.
Before you do that, you must know some of the reasons why jewelry tarnishes over time, and this will go a long way in helping you prevent this process.
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What is tarnish?
Tarnish is a corrosive layer that’s deposited on metals, especially silver or sterling silver metals. There are a lot of chemicals and compounds in the environment that are responsible for tarnish, especially sulfur and a host of chemicals that are naturally or artificially present in the air. Jewelry that’s left outside in the open air will tarnish faster than jewelry that’s kept in a closed, acid-free container.
Tarnished jewelry is usually darker and dull in appearance. If you’re a business person, this will affect your sales. Considering the fact that it costs less to prevent tarnish than to remove it, you need to learn a few things that can help you keep your jewelry in good condition.
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There are several steps that you can take to make sure that your jewelry doesn’t tarnish. It might take some time, but the result will be better than having tarnished jewelry.
Using Closed Plastic Bags
Zip-lock bags are ideal for keeping jewelry pieces. Keep jewelry individually in separate bags if possible.
Tarnish Cloth
In case you have your jewelry on display, you can cover the display or wrap over it with silver tarnish cloth. This cloth is readily available in many fabric stores. It’s also referred to as the Pacific cloth.
No-Tarnish Strips
Irrespective of the way you keep your jewelry, you should always make sure you have some no-tarnish strips lying around. While these are useful, make sure you replace them at least once in two or three months. Remember to highlight this day on your calendar so that you don’t forget it.
Using Chalk
If you cannot access no-tarnish strips, you can also use chalk. Get some pieces of regular chalk and put it together with your jewelry. Chalk works in the same way that no-tarnish strips do. They absorb any airborne substances that might tarnish your jewelry.
Regular Wiping
This is something that most people know about but barely find the time to do. Make sure you wipe down every item of jewelry whenever you find time. Use a polishing or jewelry cleaning cloth for this. Regular wiping is useful as it removes anything that might have settled on the surface of the items when they were removed from closed storage.
This is a process that eventually prevents the formation of tarnish when done properly and regularly. If you follow these steps carefully, you can be sure you will have your jewelry looking good for a very long time. Beadnova offer products to keep your shiny jewelry from tarnishing, they are the best anti-tarnish paper and jewelry cleaning cloth combo. Anti-tarnish paper helps avoid the airborne substances attach to the jewelry surface, and the cloth allow you to clean and polish your jewelry regularly.
