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What exactly is tarnish on your sterling silver jewelry?

We all know the look of it…and its not pretty. Tarnish makes your jewelry appear slightly discolored and just plain dull. But what is tarnish exactly?

Well first off, what tarnish isn’t: it’s not the pure metal itself (silver) but the alloys mixed with the pure metal (mainly copper). It’s the copper that reacts to the sulfur and the moisture in the air, causing pieces made of sterling silver to tarnish.

And its not just moisture that causes silver to tarnish but chemicals like deodorant, hairspray, lotion, etc. that speed up the process.  tarnishes faster in areas with high humidity and air pollution.

Here’s a simple video that details the process of bringing the shine back to your sterling silver jewelry.