Prevent Your Sterling Silver Necklaces From Blackening

One of my passions is silver jewelries and I own a growing set collected thru the years proving my love to these expensive looking pieces. It all started when I was in high school, around 10 years ago, when I had this penchant to buy these jewelries. There are several sterling silver necklaces that I own, and I seldom wear them because of its outdated look, which I safely stored in a jewelry box. To my dismay, when I opened them out last week, I had the biggest surprise of my life. I found out that most of my expensive looking sterling silver jewelries had turned black. My initial reaction was to think that I had been duped. That some of the pieces I bought were fakes. I took them all out and went to a local jeweler to have them looked over, turns out they just tarnished over time.

I got curious about how this happened and what can be done to prevent it. I did some research over the Internet and I discovered that sulfur, a very common substance causes the fluid shiny finish of our sterling silver jewelries to stain and turn black as the night. I went back to the jeweler to confirm this and he was generous enough to provide me with some tips on how to handle my sterling silver necklaces for long term storage. Some valuable advice were also given on the best ways to clean the sterling jewelries to keep them beautiful and dazzling.

To start off, clean first your jewelries and keep them that way. Everyday, wash them with soap and tap water but make sure you thoroughly dry before storing them in your jewelry box. A metal polish is also an option but don't go for the kind with granules as this can destroy the brilliant look of your sterling jewelries. Now what should you do if the jewelries become tarnished over time? In this case, let a professional clean the jewelry for you and your local jeweler will always be your best friend here. But if your budget is limited a home cleaning solution is your best bet. Mix some baking soda with water and here you can boil your sterling silver necklaces or any other sterling silver jewelry in a pyrex container.

If you just want to temporarily store your jewelries, you can always take out your jewelry box and store your jewelries there for easy access the next day. For long term safe keeping you need to make sure that your sterling silver necklaces and other sterling silver jewelries are thoroughly clean, wrapped in tissue and stored in airtight containers. If you are wondering why they need to be in airtight containers, the experts say that sulfur can be airborne and to be sure your sterling silver jewelries will be protected from tarnishing you need to keep them in airtight containers.

Sterling silver necklaces have characteristically smooth and brilliant finish, proper care of these items will result to long lasting luster of your jewelries. For more tips and advice on the correct way to care for your silver jewelries and to discover innovative designs available please visit http://www.overstocksilver.com.