Jewelry Care
I have heard SO many times from people that silver tarnishes quickly.
I’d like to revise that statement:
Silver can tarnish quickly if it’s not stored or handled properly
Let me help —
Find tips on how to prevent tarnish, maintain the color of your turquoise, remove tarnish, and return the shine of your jewelry below 🎉
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Get the downloadable (& printable) version of this guide here!
how to prevent tarnish
Tarnish is bound (and expected!) to happen — but there are some small steps you can take to make a big difference in how quickly your jewelry tarnishes.
Here are the best ways to prevent tarnish:
Wear your jewelry! Most people’s skin produces oils that will maintain the polish of your jewelry.
Store your jewelry in an air-tight container with an anti-tarnish strip — this is especially important if you live in a humid place!
Do not wear your jewelry while applying lotion, perfume, hairspray, or similar products.
Do not wear your jewelry while showering, swimming, or washing dishes.
Do not store your jewelry near water or in a humid place (like the bathroom!)
Again — you can’t completely prevent tarnish, but these steps will help!
If you purchased an MEA piece with patina, these tips will not be as necessary — tarnish may actually improve and darken the design over time.
Maintain the color of your turquoise
Turquoise will change color when exposed to moisture! Follow the care instructions listed above — water is the biggest risk for color change, but keep your turquoise away from lotions, hairspray, and perfume as well.
Tarnish-removal products can also damage your turquoise (and other stones!). I recommend you stay away from these products. Alternative tarnish-removal methods are listed below!
How to remove tarnish
Tarnish is expected! So what do you do when it’s time to clean up your jewelry? Here are a few options —
For general maintenance:
Gently wash your jewelry with a soft toothbrush or cotton swab and unscented, clear dish soap. Avoid the stones on your pieces while washing. Dry immediately!
Use a polishing cloth! This will polish & remove moderate tarnish.
For heavy clean up:
Rub #0000 grade steel wool on the silver to remove the tarnish, avoiding the stones. This will give the silver a matte finish, but will remove all of the tarnish!
Tarnish-removal products are available across the market, but as stated above, I suggest you stay away from these products to protect the stone(s) in your jewelry.
It’s time to make ‘em shine!
The tarnish is gone, now let’s make your piece shine again! My go-to is the original Sunshine polishing cloth — it’s a great all-around polishing option.
The Sunshine polishing cloth is a microfiber cloth that has a polishing compound on it — when you rub it on your jewelry, it will start to turn black — this is expected. You don’t need a new cloth until the entire cloth is black!
You can purchase one here.
