In short, silver reacts with sulphur oxides present in the air (e.g. hydrogen sulphide) and a black substance is created called silver sulphide.

In order for silver to be strong enough to work with and to have longevity as a piece of jewellery, copper is added in its manufacturing process.

Sterling silver has a purity of 92.5% silver (hence the 925 stamp in the hallmark).  This means that 7.5% of the alloy is copper and other metals like zinc. 

Copper is quick to react with the atmosphere and when present in sterling silver shows as a blackened appearance which is copper oxide, this is commonly known as tarnishing.

This happens fairly regularly and doesn’t indicate that there is anything wrong with the silver, it is a natural occurrence.

Although it is a technique that I don’t use very often, a sulphur substance can be applied to jewellery and then polished off leaving a blackened reaction in contrasting sections of the piece.

I use quite a lot of fine silver in my work, this has less copper added (99.5% silver, 0.5% copper and other metals) and will therefore react slower to the oxygen in the air; it won’t tarnish as much. 

However, because there is less copper, it is also less strong, so I tend not to use is for ring bands, bracelets and bangles as it can break much more easily.  Instead, I use it for pendants and extra decoration.

So how can we prevent tarnishing?

To be totally safe, there are various things we can do to help prevent tarnishing…..

1. Remove jewellery when bathing and showering (even keep it out of the humid atmosphere in the bathroom…. don’t leave it on the side!).
2. Don’t swim in it. Chlorine can react with the silver, in fact it can also cause pitting in severe cases.
3. Don’t spray perfume or body spray whilst wearing silver jewellery and wait until it has dried before you put your it back on.
4. Think about your diet. It may sound strange, but the foods you eat can affect how quickly your jewellery tarnishes. Sulphur rich foods, such as egg, garlic and seafood can result in your sweat having a higher concentration of sulphur, speeding up the tarnishing!

However. I don’t do any of this. (Although I am recommending that you do!).  The rate at which jewellery tarnishes differs for each person, this is based on their chemical makeup and the way they live their lives.

I firmly believe jewellery is to be worn and enjoyed and although I remove some of my jewellery for sport, most of it is slept in and showered in and lived in.   

My jewellery seems to tarnish more in my jewellery box, so I have taken to keeping it in the bag or box I bought it in, which helps protect it from the surrounding atmosphere.

Small amounts of tarnish can be removed with a polishing cloth, but very black jewellery should be put through a polisher.

I am happy to polish jewellery bought from Fred & Emily to bring it back to life (get in touch for prices) which will bring back its sparkle!