YUK! My silver is dirty looking!!
Is that real silver??

Over time, all Sterling Silver will tarnish - it's just a fact of life.  When silver is exposed to certain elements, there is a chemical reaction that creates black and colourful smudges - it called a sulfate stain.  (There are pictures of this below).  You can wiki/google silver tarnish and find a lot of info on the process. 

But there are ways that you can help keep your silver looking fresh and new.  Proper care can keep your jewelry looking lovely for years to come.  For starters, when you are not wearing your silver, store it separately (not just thrown in a jewelry box with other types of jewelry).  Also, try and keep it wrapped in a soft cloth so it stays dry and cool. It will not *stop* the tarnish but it can slow it down.

When cleaning, avoid things like paper towels as it may scratch the surface.  It is better to use a soft fine cloth for cleaning.  You can purchase a silver cleaning cloth at most jewelry stores for a few dollars.  (I'm going to show you some examples further down the page on how you can clean your silver).

You might be surprised at some of the things that will cause quicker tarnish: Wool, latex gloves, perfumes, hair sprays, ammonia, chlorinated water, rubber bands and even certain types of food you actually eat! (and this is only the short list of culprits!)  It can even be the air around you due to pollution or humidity.

	MY STERLING SILVER RING Isn't it horrible?? Just for fun, I left one of my favorite sterling silver rings out to tarnish.  I didn't put it anyplace out of the ordinary in my house, I left it on a clock mantel in my livingroom.  As you can see, it looks HORRIBLE!  It sat there for only about a month before it turned into this awful mess! You can see the rainbow shades near the stone and the black mess on the surface.  My house is not humid, no one smokes in here, I dont have a fireplace.. it's not near any seashore, pollution or anything I can think of that would make it do that.  It just 'happens'... You can also tell I love this ring as there are a lot of wear marks on it.. I have been wearing this ring for about 9 years now.
	A look inside of the band to show you the Sterling Stamp.
	This is my ring after using a Sterling Silver polish cloth - you can buy one of these cloths at most any jewelry stores. It took about 2 minutes of gentle rubbing to get the tarnish off - no chemicals were used in the process.. no rough brushes.. just gentle rubbing.

Here are a few other rings that I love to wear.....

You can see (from left to right) how AWFUL my ring looks...)  After a few rubs, I was able to get most all the dirt off the ring.  Luckily, if you just wear your ring in the shower a few times? You can get all those nooks and crannies cleaned right out.

This is what your silver polish cloth will look like when you start using it..
It will feel gunky and get black!

And a small footnote: 
All of our hand wrapped gemstones have been created using Sterling silver wire.   The wire has been
purchased from a reputable dealer in Canada - and yes, they will tarnish.

If I use another type of metal? It will specifically be stated with the gemstone :)