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Does Sterling Silver Tarnish? How To Prevent Silver Tarnishing

By Ginny • June 24, 2017 • Silver Guides, Ultimate Guides

Sterling silver, even real .925 sterling silver, will always tarnish. While pure 99.9% silver does not tarnish, any sterling silver will tarnish over time as a result of the metal mixed in.  However, fortunately there are many ways to keep sterling silver from tarnishing.

Does sterling silver tarnish?

Does silver tarnish? This is a tricky question, as technically, tarnishing does not occur in pure silver. However, pure silver is too soft to be used in jewelry crafting. Therefore, jewelers will often add a small quantity of copper to  strengthen the silver. The resulting product is .925 sterling silver, which contains 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. It is the primary material used for silver jewelry.

Unfortunately, because of the metals added, sterling silver, even real .925 sterling silver, will always tarnish.

Tarnishing thus does not mean that the silver is low purity. Moreover, as sterling silver has higher percentage of silver, it will tarnish much slower than silver of low purity. Therefore, sterling silver is still a wonderful choice of precious metals.

>> How to polish sterling silver

WHY WILL STERLING SILVER TARNISH?

Silver tarnish is the discoloration of sterling silver items which can take on a yellow or black tint. Although the pure silver in sterling silver does not react and tarnish at room temperature, the copper added can easily react with the salt and sulfur in the air, making sterling silver rust.

Does Sterling Silver Tarnish - Centime Blog

Tarnishing can take place even faster if sterling silver come in contact with detergents or cosmetics.  Even just the chemicals in our sweat is enough to cause corrosion in silver jewelry when worn.

The good news is that with sterling silver, regular care can really slow down the tarnishing, unlike silver-plated jewelry which will deteriorate no matter what. And even if your silver jewelry has already been spotted with tarnish, a good home clean-up, or better, a professional polishing will easily make it look like new.


Our Coordinates Necklace

This explains why sterling silver jewelry remains a popular and budget-friendly alternative to white gold or platinum. It is a go to metal for jewelry when you want a glamorous piece without breaking the bank.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR STERLING SILVER TO TARNISH?

It is hard to put a precise time frame on how fast silver gets tarnished. A number of things can affect the rate of tarnish on silver. If you come into regular contact with chemicals, like going to the pool or using beauty products often, your silver is bound to tarnish faster. Make sure to take care of your precious jewelry and keepsakes so that they can look good for many years.

HOW TO KEEP STERLING SILVER FROM TARNISHING?
Keep away from solution  

Corrosion in sterling silver takes place when silver gets into contact with salty solution or chemicals. Therefore it is very important to keep jewelry away from salt water or any house products or toiletries solution.

Can you shower with sterling silver? It’s basically fine. But we do not encourage our customers to wear your sterling silver when showering. Water generally doesn’t harm sterling silver, but there is a good chance that it could lead to tarnishing.

In short, do not wear silver in the shower or when doing dishes.

Does Sterling Silver Tarnish - Centime Blog

Avoid wearing jewelry in activities that make you sweat, such as outdoor chores or sports.

Last to put on, first to take off

Another important rule to prevent silver from tarnishing is that your jewelry should be the last thing you put on, after applying make-up and perfume and the first to be taken off, before your shower or activities.

Does Sterling Silver Tarnish - Centime Blog

This is to preventing contact between any possible chemicals or salty sweat and your silver.

Consider your home and work environment 

Examine your job or environment to see if you deal with chemicals or other solutions on a regular basis. If that’s the case, remove your silver before working with chemicals. For example, people working at cosmetics or perfume sales job might find  themselves having to clean their silver jewelry more regularly.

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If you are living in a rather polluted environment, your jewelry might tarnish faster due to high level of sulphur in the air. As a result, it will need more regular polishing as well.

>> How to care for silver

It might just be your body chemicals  

In some rare cases, certain people’s sweat could react more with silver, resulting in faster tarnishing. This can become even more pronounced if the person is eating certain food or medication.

Does sterling silver tarnish?

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Wear it regularly

After reading all these tips, you may want to store your sterling silver and never wear it. But that’s the last thing you should do.

One of the best ways to keep sterling silver beautiful is to wear it. As soon as you wipe it off and take care of it, it should look new and last a long time.

In short, wear your jewelry sparingly only when needed to stop silver from tarnishing. Do take them off at night, and keep them wrapped under soft cloth in zipped bags to minimize reaction with the air.

Otherwise, prepare to polish and clean them more regularly in order to maintain their perfect shine. In the next article, I will show you how to polish silver.

SHOP OUR RANGE OF 100% STERLING SILVER HERE:

From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: Our  Signature Necklace – Coordinates Bracelet – Memorial Handwriting Jewelry – GPS Coordinates Jewelry

Still have any question? Feel free to leave a comment below or send me an email at [email protected].

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About the Author

Ginny

Hello, it's Ginny. I am a mother of two beautiful kids and I love to do craftwork in my spare time. I started Centime out of a dream to create handmade gifts with a timeless appeal and personal touch. With this blog, I wish to impart my knowledge from years as a jeweler so that you can pick out gifts of everlasting love.

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6 Comments

  • Reply How To Tell If Silver Is Real | Centime Blog August 4, 2017 at 6:28 am

    […] likely to be less prone to tarnishing than silver of lower purity, all sterling silver will tarnish as explained in my previous blog post. Depending on body chemistry, environment and exposure to chemicals, this process can take place […]

  • Reply Matt August 10, 2018 at 10:37 pm

    Hi im matt and have 7 925 siver chains that tarnish when i sweat and noticed when i shower with all my jewelery on it has been much cleaner n shinyer i also clean them with dawn dish soap and it gets the black greasey tarnish off from my sweat i keep my jewelry on 24 7 and it is in beautiful condition n will remain wearing it 24 7 n showering with it on from my esperence silver will awlways clean up beautifully no matter how tarnished am i correct?

    • Reply Ginny August 26, 2018 at 11:45 am

      Hi Matt!

      I would not recommend showering with your sterling silver necklace as certain soap can tarnish your sterling silver further. Cleaning the silver regularly from sweat will be good though, but perhaps not with regular soap. You can check out my “How to clean sterling silver” guide to see how to clean and maintain your sterling silver.

      Ginny

  • Reply Jennifer Kenzel September 3, 2018 at 4:26 pm

    Hi, Thanks for the info…I am always confused about silver. Las year, i treated myself to stackable rings with my children’s birthstone. They started to tarnish after i was in the spa.
    I tried to clean with quality cleaner. Left them off for 3 months.
    Then soaked in haggertys cleaner. The rings are marked 925 and I purchased them for abt 100. from a jewelry make on etsy. they are completed spotter and dull.
    I cannot find my order on the website. If they are sterling, shoulddnt the spots come off

    • Reply Ginny September 5, 2018 at 6:39 am

      Hi,

      If they are sterling, it only means they are less prone to tarnishing than lower quality silver. It doesn’t mean that they can’t get tarnished, or the tarnishing can be reversed faster. So tarnishing is not an indication whether it is sterling silver or not – only a silver test can tell.

      You can take the rings to a jeweler for a quick buffing (which removes the tarnished layer of the silver) and they should shine like new.

      Do remove them when you are in an environment that has a lot of moisture/chemicals (like the spa you mention) as they can react with silver and cause them to tarnish.

      Ginny

  • Reply Jharna May 11, 2021 at 7:03 am

    just owo. looking design just great. I love your product. Also, I am providing this product. Nice . And thanks.

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Hi, I’m Ginny. I run Centime.

Hi, I’m Ginny. I run Centime.
Hi, I'm Ginny. Welcome to Centime's blog. I started Centime because I was sick of generic, branded gifts with no soul. As I have always loved to make my own jewelry and gifts, I dreamed of creating handmade gifts with a timeless appeal and personal touch. Centime was born out of that dream, and I am grateful to be living my dream everyday. All the posts in this blog were written by me, using years of experience as a jeweler so that you can pick out the perfect gifts that are not just gifts but symbols of everlasting love. Love for keeps, we call them. My colleagues and I also occasionally post inspirations and customer stories that touch our heart. We will also keep you updated of any changes going on in our store. I hope you enjoy this blog, and keep loving <3
Ginny of Centime

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