by Jennifer Searle

Created on: February 08, 2010

Silver jewelry is beautiful when you first purchase it, but how do you continue to maintain that beauty through the life of your piece?

Once you have worn your silver jewelry your skin oils are now contaminating it. Skin oil left on a piece of silver jewelry exposed to the air will tarnish quickly.  The easiest way to maintain the beauty of your silver jewelry is to wash it thoroughly after each wear and store it in a zip-top baggie to lessen the exposure to oxidization.  This will slow the rate of tarnish down between wearing your favorite pieces of silver. Some jewelry makers even suggest going a step further with the use of the baggies that now have the air removal tools for an air tight seal around your jewelry. These vacuuming sealing baggie kits can be purchased for under $20 at most major grocery and chain stores like Wal-Mart and Target. In the long run the investment of the vacuuming sealing baggies will save you time and money when dealing with your silver jewelry.

If you have already tarnished pieces of silver there are few simple methods and a few more complicated methods to making it shiny and new again.

Method 1-

You will need a glass dish with a piece of aluminum foil in the bottom. At least three cups of just boiled water and baking soda. Place the aluminum foil in the bottom of your dish. Place the silver jewelry so that it is laying flat on the aluminum foil. Cover with the hot water. Pour baking soda over the entire dish until you see the tarnish begin to disappear. If it doesn't seem to be working quickly, add a pinch of salt to the dish. Let sit until the water is cooled off. Remove jewelry from the dish. Rinse thoroughly. Use a soft bristled toothbrush and a mild detergent (I use Dawn for sensitive hands) to wash the piece of jewelry until it shines. Use a microfiber cloth to buff the jewelry dry and place in a baggie. Make sure to wear gloves while handling any piece of jewelry you are cleaning to keep your skin oils from recontaminating the silver.This method is also not good to use on silver that has purposefully oxidized decorative features, as may fully remove all tarnish from the piece, which may not create the desired effect of the piece. This method is also not recommended for pieces with pearls (real or faux) or soft stones like turquoise, as hot just boiled water can damage the stones. 

Method 2-

A more costly method involves using a Dremel or similar rotary tool. If you do not own one of these types of tools,

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