Sterling Silver Jewelry - Why and How Does it Tarnish?

Introduction

Man has been using silver jewelry such as silver rings, pendants, bracelets for various purposes since earliest civilizations. Silver, is one of the oldest known metals to man and has been in existence since time immemorial.

With the advancement in technology, complex and advanced methods of jewelry designing have been used to carve intricate jewelry out of silver. Yet, one major concern among the manufacturers, buyers and sellers of silver jewelry is that it corrodes easily if not taken proper care of.

Silver can get easily tarnished if it comes into contact with any substance that contains hydrogen sulfide. Some of the common substances found at home that contain sulfide include doormats, rubber bands, wool and latex gloves. It has also been observed that silver jewelry or silverware corrodes easily in places where coal is used as a fuel. The prime reason for this occurrence can yet again be attributed to the presence of high content of sulfur in coal.

Reason for corrosion

Corrosion or tarnishing of silver can primarily be characterized easily when it starts losing its gleam and its color gradually changes from bright silver to give a yellowish tint until it finally turns to various shades of grey or even black in some cases.

Other various factors which contribute to tarnishing of silver include weather changes, relatively high levels of humidity in the atmosphere. Certain edible items like eggs and oil present in the kitchen when in contact with silver utensils may also accelerate the corrosion process.

Methods to prevent corrosion

Various methods have been devised by scientists to mitigate the damages done to a certain piece of silverware or silver jewelry by various methods. Certain home made remedies are often advised to remove small amounts of corrosion from jewelry while it is advised to seek professional help from a jeweler when dealing with intricate pieces of jewelry or when the extent of damage caused by corrosion is really very high.

Some of the general methods prescribed to remove tarnish from pieces of jewelry like silver chains, pendants and silver rings include immersing silver in chemical dips, plating the jewelry with other metals like rhodium or copper which form a protective layer over it, stocking up silverware with silica granules as they are known to absorb any excess levels of humidity present in the atmosphere.

Popularity of corroded jewelry

Yet another contradictory stance to the methods being devised to restrain one's silver chains from being corroded is that tarnished silver jewelry is considered a rage nowadays among the jewelry experts. Jewelry manufacturers purposely tarnish silver in order to carve out jewelry items out of it which may give it a rustic and traditional appeal. Corroded silver chains and silver rings which sports a grayish or dark yellowish tint in it is often used by skilled craftsmen to shape enchanting pieces of silver jewelry from it, which smacks of traditional and artistic elements. The methods used to corrode silver are exactly the same as they are to prevent it from corroding, the only difference being that they are exercised in the reverse manner. Hence, no matter what form of silver jewelry one may choose to opt for- corroded or glazed, the trend for silver jewelry seems virtually unending!

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