Does Sterling Silver Handmade Jewelry Tarnish Easily?
If you’re considering buying handmade sterling silver jewelry either for yourself or as a gift, you may be wondering if it will eventually tarnish. Some people wonder if sterling silver can be worn in the bath or shower, or whether sterling silver jewelry can irritate your skin. These are legitimate questions.
There are a couple of different answers and none that are scientific. In short, genuine sterling silver .925 is one of those finicky metals that love to be worn every day. If you leave it on a nightstand or in a jewelry box, this can cause oxidation which is a little bit different than tarnishing in that it causes a bit of discoloring. Wear it every day and the sterling silver handmade jewelry will not tarnish.
As far as irritating skin, this answer varies depending on the individual wearer. You may be fine (and most people are), however sometimes sterling silver earring posts can agitate someone’s earlobes who is more apt to be allergic to silver. Many sterling silver handmade jewelry designers offer a hypo-allergenic version of silver accessories to those who have high sensitivity to sterling silver. Otherwise, the only way to know if you are allergic to it is to try wearing it for a few days and check for any skin discolorations, rashes or irritations. It is highly unlikely, but not impossible. Some experts recommend swabbing some tea tree oil on the area underneath the skin where the silver is to be worn, which is something not proven but may be worth a try.
It is not recommended to shower wearing sterling silver, but some wearers never take off their handmade sterling silver jewelry and wear it night and day. The silver should stay nice in appearance as long as it is worn. Some jewelers offer a sterling silver polishing cloth which is perfect for cleaning sterling silver handmade jewelry. You just rub the silver through the cloth a few times (or as long as it takes to look clean) and after you are done, there will be a residue left behind but your silver handcrafted jewelry will look shiny and marvelous.
So the moral of the story with tarnishing silver jewelry is just to wear it more often, or all the time! Handmade sterling silver jewelry begs to be worn, not shoved in a jewelry box. And even if you opt not to wear it all the time, you can clean it easily with a professional silver cloth. Enjoy your handmade sterling silver without worry!
Mike Nielson, For more information on sterling silver handmade jewelry, artisan handmade jewelry and handmade sterling silver jewelry. Please: http://www.galerina.com/
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