Silver reacts with certain chemicals in the air, mainly sulfur. Over time this will result in a darkening of the surface of the silver. The tarnish can range from yellow to grey, even to black. Luckily it is very easy to remove this tarnish from your silver jewellery and return it to its former sparkling finish!

We have seen some places suggest using toothpaste as a cleaning agent. Never do this. Toothpaste is far too gritty and would be like sand-blasting your car. Silver shines because of the polished suface the maker has given it. Abrasive cleaners can damage this finish and actually reduce the shine.

Don't use household cleaners for the same reason. They can damage the surface of the jewellery.

For oxidised finishes - jewellery that has been polished in some areas but deliberately left oxidised in others to add character to the piece - never use silver dip solutions. These will strip the oxidised areas and can ruin the piece.

By far the kindest and best way to clean your silver jewellery is to use a high quality silver polishing cloth. These polishing cloths are what jewellers use to maintain the shine of their jewellery. They contain special cleaning agents which remove the tarnish from the silver and help prevent it from building up in the future. The cloth will leave your silver jewellery with the best shine possible!

We have silver polishing cloth here.