Wear your sterling silver jewelry often! Real-life magic: your skin's natural oils will help to prevent tarnish, keeping your jewelry bright and shiny!

Leave your jewelry at home if you're hitting the gym, gardening, doing some frenzied house cleaning, or having an otherwise physically active day. Silver is a relatively soft metal and is, therefore, prone to dings and scratches. Protect your rings and bracelets by leaving them at home when you're on the move.

Keep your jewels away from water and chemicals! When you're getting ready for your day, put your jewelry on last - after you're finished with your makeup, lotions, perfumes, hairspray, etc. Leave your jewelry behind if you're going for a dip in the pool, ocean, hot tub, etc. Repeated exposure to "wet" things can discolor your stones. Turquoise is especially prone to discoloration when it comes in contact with liquids and sprays!

Tarnish is the result of a chemical reaction with oxygen and sulfur particles in the air. Tarnish is natural; all sterling silver jewelry will need to be stored correctly and cleaned regularly to keep tarnish to a minimum.

The easiest way to prevent tarnish is to store your jewelry in an air-tight container, like a zip lock bag or an anti-tarnish pouch. A cotton-lined cardboard jewelry box or a closed jewelry case will usually do the trick, too.

Keep your jewelry in a cool, dark place. Sunlight, heat, and moisture can accelerate (you guessed it) tarnish. (Your bathroom = a horrible place to store your sterling silver jewelry!)

If possible, store each piece separately. Doing so will help to prevent dings and surface scratches on your jewelry.

The quickest and easiest way to remove tarnish is to wipe it clean with a jewelry cloth. You'll get a free one with any Veridian purchase!

Don't have a jewelry cloth handy? Try gently washing tarnished silver pieces with some dish soap and water, taking care to avoid your stones!

When all else fails, contact me for a little TLC and a fresh polish. So, you've let your sterling silver jewelry sit out on your dresser for a few months and now it's coated in a heavy layer of black tarnish. Not to worry! Your piece is not ruined! If you're struggling to wipe away thick layers of tarnish with your polishing cloth and the soap + water method isn't quite cutting it, reach out to me and I'll use my heavy-duty rotary tool and polishing bits to give your Veridian jewelry a refresh and make it look brand new! Just cover the to-and-from shipping costs.