does anyone know why some sterling silver tarnishes and some doesn't ?

Question

i have a lot of silver jewelry. I noticed a lot of people are wearing silver now. so, i ask y'all why does some silver tarnish and some silver doesn't. it may sound weird , but the ones that tarnish are the ones i paid a lot of money for. sometimes i find something at the swap meet or in the Avon books and that jewelry doesn't tarnish. the jewelry i have bought from a jewelry store tarnishs within a few days of not wearing it. as long as it's on my body it doesn't happen so fast. weird. so if anyone knows the answer i sure would appreciate it. oh ! and if ya know how to get the tarnish off that would be great also. i have tried the silver polish but it takes forever and i can't get all of it off. there used to be some liquid stuff you just dipped your jewelry in and it takes the tarnish off instantly. but i can't recall the name of it or if it's still being sold. thanks

Answer 1

It sounds as if the pieces that are not tarnishing--the ones from Avon and garage sales--is probably not silver at all but silver-toned. Silver-toned jewelry is an alloy of base metals made to look similiar to silver. These pieces normally do not tarnish, although the metal itself is not worth much and is often a culprit in metal allergies.

Sterling silver will tarnish faster than pure silver. It is the metal the silver is alloyed with--mostly copper, that is the main component in the tarnishing process. However, sterling is a much better metal for jewelry than fine/pure silver. Pure silver is simply too soft to be practical for most pieces of jewelry.

You are correct--wearing sterling silver jewelry often will inhibit the tarnishing process. Storing your sterling silver jewelry properly is also helpful. Store it in clean air-tight bags like ziploc baggies and then keep it out of the sun and direct heat sources.

I believe the product you are looking for is Tarn-X and it comes in a black plastic bottle. It's available at Bed, Bath & Beyond and Orchard Supply in my area. I'm certain you can find it at any number of retail stores that carry cleaning supplies.

Word of caution. . . wear rubber gloves while using Tarn-X. It is a skin irritant.

Good luck.

Answer 2

I know that sterling silver usually takes longer to tarnish. So maybe the more expensive jewelry you have is silver, and the less expensive is sterling silver. I don't remember the name of that polish either. But I remember it working really well. I think it was in a red jar?