Does Water Cause Silver Jewelry to Tarnish

Being a most popular type of jewelry used in the world today, silver is loved and worn by almost all kind of people. It is inexpensive and too soft to wear as jewelry. Though there are a lot of reasons for preferring a silver jewelry, on the other hand there is also a major drawback with it. Yes, silver tarnishes and turns black. It leaves dark black, blue, purple stains on your fingers, wrists and neck. It can even leave stains on your dresses and everywhere it touches. Okay, now what makes a silver jewelry to tarnish? If you say it is water, the answer is not precisely yes!

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No matter, whether the silver is pure or mixed, nothing stops silver from tarnishing. When a sterling silver chain jewelry is exposed to the air and atmosphere, a chemical reaction takes place creating silver sulfate that happens to be the root cause for leaving the black mark on your finger or neck. It is the nature of silver to react to chemical and there isn't really much to do about silver tarnishing. However, by plating it with a thin layer of metal protection, tarnishing can be prevented to some extent.

Chlorine can be said the major culprit that causes serious tarnish on silver jewelry. Chlorinated water is everywhere and this is the reason for the misconception that water makes silver jewelry to tarnish. Polish would coat the piece and add a certain amount of limited protection. It is not just the chlorinated water that makes silver chain necklaces to tarnish¸ but anything like wool, rubber bands, latex gloves, oils from your hands and fingers, ammonia, carpet padding, air pollution, perfumes, and hair sprays make a silver jewelry tarnish. Few food items like onions, mayonnaise, salad dressing, eggs and salty foods can even make silver tarnish.

You can prevent tarnishing by storing your silver jewelry in individually sealed poly bags or zip lock bags. Store it with under cute little silica gel packs that helps in removing the moisture from the air. Cleaning your Sterling Silver Chain Jewelry with warm water and drying it with a soft cloth after you wear it, will remove any oily residue and slow the process down as well. Some people also advise storing your Jewelry with chalk just because it absorbs the toxins in the bag. Keeping your Jewelry in Tupperware or Rubbermaid Bins also works well.

gold earrings india |By Susan Silver on March 15, 2011
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