What Causes Silver to Tarnish?
All sterling silver naturally tarnishes.
A few things will speed this process are:
- Applying hair colour, permanent solution, etc. while wearing your jewelery
- Showering with your jewelery on
- Body Lotions (Applying any of these after you've put on
your jewelery - Perfume, Hair Spray, Sun Tan Lotion, Oils)
- Physical Activities (Sweat)
- Never Taking It Off (dirt build-up)
- Exposure to Air
- Jumping in a chemically-treated pool ...
IMPORTANT NOTE:
ALWAYS take your Jewelry off before entering a swimming pool or whirlpool & rinse off before placing your silver back on your body!!!

Cleaning Your Silver
Sterling silver will naturally tarnish with time.
To clean your silver jewelery use a high quality silver cleansing bath.
(see below under "caring for your jewelry")

Jewelry with sandblast, brushed, cross-scratched and dazzle finishes should not be cleaned with a silver cloth, but by using warm soapy water and a soft brush.

Store individual pieces separately to avoid scratching.
Protect by wrapping in soft fabric (actually in a plastic zip-bag works best!!!) and
store in a cool, dry place.

Avoid contact with chemicals, perfume, hairspray and deodorant.

To bring back sparkle from faceted gemstones use warm water, dish washing liquid and a soft toothbrush. Soak and brush inside the back of the setting and rinse.

To maintain the condition of your jewelery remove when
bathing, swimming or when undertaking manual work.
Don't forget to rinse off after swimming before putting your jewelry back on!!

CARING FOR YOUR JEWELRY
Frequent cleaning is recommended to maintain true beauty. Salt water, chlorine in swimming pools, soap and perspiration take their toll. Wipe your charms carefully with a soft cloth to keep it clean and free of these elements which oxidizes.

The best way to clean is very simple and you probably already have what you need in your kitchen. Take a small bowl that will hold about a quart of water and line it with aluminum foil. Add hot water and a tablespoon of Tide washing powder (not liquid or with bleach) and stir. Place your jewelry in the solution for about 1 minute and rinse with clean water and air dry.

Another cleaning trick is to place in ammonia (NOT bleach) & gently scrub with a soft toothbrush.
Not recommended for items containing soft stones such as: Lapis, Malachite, Coral, etc.

If you have a build-up of dirt in hard to reach places, just put a little dish washing liquid in a bowl of water and soak over night. This will usually loosen the dirt enough that it will release itself from the jewelry, if this does not work, use a soft tooth brush to loosen the dirt and soak it again. To keep your jewelry from tarnishing when not being worn, store it wrapped in a soft cloth and placed in a zip lock plastic bag.

What causes silver to tarnish is air.
When it is not in use, the more you can keep it sealed the less it will tarnish
(thus store in a plastic zip-lock as mentioned above!).

Did You Know that A Portion of Your Purchase Goes to Benefit:
Foundation for Animals in Risk (FAIR) - www.faircares.org
&
The Greyhound Adoption League (GAL) - www.azgreyhounds.com

Our Beloved Family Members from FAIR & GAL