Certain metals will tarnish over a period of time due to their reaction to with elements present in the environment such as Sulphur. Silver in particular tends to tarnish quite quickly and what started off as a very shiny bright metal, with incredible surface lustre, can in certain environments quite quickly become yellowish to almost black in appearance.
Many people incorrectly believe it has something to do with the purity of the Silver. This is not the case (nor could it be, as the purity of Silver on larger pieces of jewellery is independently hallmarked by the Assay Office) and in fact pure Silver will actually tarnish quicker than the approved 80% and 92.5% standards.
If your Silver Ring comes in contact with items such as petrol, wool, rubber, hairspray and certain paints then it may start to tarnish. Even everyday foods like eggs and onion can act as a catalyst to your Silver beginning to tarnish. You may also find that on holiday your Silver tarnishes quicker, as the process speeds up in high humidity.
So that’s all the bad news; the good news is that tarnished metals are easily cleaned, especially if dealt with promptly. Once you find your Silver jewellery beginning to tarnish, simply wash it using a detergent that does not contain any phosphate-based chemicals. If the tarnish has gone from a light yellow colour to a more darkish brown or even black, then you will need to purchase a specialised polish to remove the tarnish. Today there are many of these available over the internet. In the most severe of cases, you may need to take your jewellery to a jeweller, who will dip your jewellery in a chemical solution. To help keep Silver jewellery in a pristine condition for longer, it is often plated with Rhodium or Palladium whilst being manufactured. Depending on the quality of the manufacturer and the depth of the plating, this process can often delay the tarnishing process by many years; however, if not properly applied to the jewellery in an even manner, it can eventually lead to jewellery developing patches of tarnish.
