Pure sterling silver jewellery has a tendency to tarnish especially when it's not worn. Tarnish build-up is a dullness in silver finish that naturally occurs when silver reacts with sulphur or hydrogen sulphide in the ambient air. Tarnishing does not mean that your sterling silver is not pure but it’s the opposite.

Prompt cleaning is important when silver vessels like plates, glasses, knives or other ritual puja-ware are used on a daily basis and exposed to certain foods containing sulphur or those which are acidic or salty. Food such as salt, onions, mayonnaise and vinegar are harmful to silver. It is recommended that you clean and re-polish/re-plate your Silver jewellery regularly in order to prevent tarnish build up. With proper care, your fine quality silver will last a lifetime.

For home cleaning of silver jewellery and articles, different combinations can be used:

i) Clean silver ornaments that are starting to discolour with a soft cloth dipped in a mix of mild dish detergent and warm water. Rinse with cool water and buff with a cloth until dry.

ii) To remove Tarnish, look for specially made Silver polishing products which are safe, simple and inexpensive.

iii) For heavier tarnish, mix a paste of three parts baking soda or salt to one part in hot water. Either submerge your jewellery into the solution, letting it sit for 5 minutes or wet the silver and apply the paste with a soft cloth. After 5 minutes, rinse with cool water and buff with a cloth until dry. Do not soak silver as this speed up the tarnishing process.

Silver gets oxidized over a period and develops a layer of thin dark film as a coating. This occurs mostly in a humid environment, but it is inevitable in any climate.

Remove your silver jewellery when engaging in any activity that may cause scratching or chipping, such as gardening, painting or outdoor sports. Water can react with cleaning fluid which leads to discoloration and silver is particularly susceptible to this problem. It is also recommended that you remove your silver jewellery when swimming or working with household chemicals such as ammonia or bleach as these chemicals can cause permanent damage.

If maintained properly, however, silver jewels and silver ware improve with age and develop a lush patina on their surface.

Dampness causes the silver in the setting to tarnish and the enamel to crack.

Silver jewellery should always be stored in soft, dry, individual tarnish preventive plastic zip lock bags or in a separate air tight container to prevent it from oxidation / tarnishing.

Keep a pouch of desiccant or Silica gel (often found in medicines or shoes boxes), is highly useful in absorbing the moisture in the air, when kept along with your jewellery.