If you don’t have an idea about them already, you should definitely learn the necessary steps on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box.
It’s not a very pleasant site when you open up the jewelry box only to find your silver all darkened and discolored. Although tarnished silver can be restored, it can be a hassle to do it every time you want to take it out for wearing. Furthermore, repeatedly cleaning the jewelry and letting it get tarnished can drastically affect its overall look.
In this post, we’re going to start at the basics by looking at what tarnishing is and how it can be caused. Then, we’ll go on to discuss some tips on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box.
What is Tarnishing?
The first thing that you need to know about how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box is what ‘tarnishing’ actually means.
The word ‘tarnish’ generally means to ‘lose luster or brightness’. In the context of silver, it refers to the process where the silver becomes darkened and discolored as a result of getting exposed to sulfur-containing gases.
Here’s basically how tarnishing happens.
When silver reacts with sulfur, it forms silver sulfide. Silver sulfide is a black substance. Hence, when the black substance is created on top of the usually lustrous and bright silver surface, it starts to look dull and darkened.
Reading about it like this, tarnishing might sound something that happens rarely. But that’s not the case. Sulfur is present in various gaseous states, and it can be found very commonly in all sorts of places.
The point, is that if you are not particularly careful about keeping your silver safely stored, it will most probably get tarnished.
How to Keep Silver from Tarnishing in Jewelry Box?
Now that we’re all clear about what tarnishing is, let’s take a look at some things you can do to prevent it from happening to your jewelry.
Use a Proper Anti-Tarnish Jewelry Box
One of the easiest and simplest ways to prevent your silver from tarnishing is to use an anti tarnish jewelry box.
Jewelry boxes that are made particularly to prevent tarnishing usually have a layer or coat of protective material that serves to prevent the silver kept inside them from getting in touch with sulfur-containing gases. Some boxes simply block out the gases and prevent them from reaching the silver altogether. Some boxes, on the other hand, have a layer that attracts and absorbs the gases before they can get to the silver.
You can easily find an anti tarnish jewelry organizer on places like Amazon and eBay. If you want, you can also make one yourself and save some money.
Creating a DIY anti tarnish jewelry storage is not difficult if you have the right materials at hand.
Use Anti-Tarnish Spray Products
This is another easy and simple method that you can try from our “How to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box” guide.
If you want to store your silver in a normal storage box, you can try using a spray to keep jewelry from tarnishing. There are lot of such products available online that you can buy.
Essentially, these types of sprays form a thin protective layer on the silver, which prevents it from getting tarnished and corroded.
Use Air-Tight Storage Bags
Moisture is your biggest enemy when it comes to tarnishing silver. Whenever you want to store your silver jewelry, you have to make sure that it is completing isolated from moisture.
By storing jewelry in Ziploc bags, you can achieve this easily. Furthermore, since Ziploc bags can be completely sealed, you can also get the added benefit of protecting your jewelry from all types of gases that can possibly harm it.
To do this, however, you will have to squeeze all the air out before sealing the bag. If there remains any air in the bag, there are chances for the silver to get tarnished. Who knows what sort of gases may have come in with the air?
Use Desiccants
Desiccants are used for absorbing moisture.
Silica gel is a common and very easily found desiccant that you can place inside your jewelry box. You may have seen silica gel packets quite a lot inside shoe boxes with the words ‘Do Not Eat’ written on them.
So, if you want to store jewelry in a drawer or in a normal storage box, you can simply throw in a couple of silica gel packets along with them to protect them from getting affected by moisture.
And with that, let’s move with our guide on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box.
Wrap the Jewelry Individually in Pieces of Cloth
This tip is usually not given as a tip on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box. Rather, it’s to prevent scratching.
However, wrapping silver individually in pieces of cloth can also be good to prevent tarnishing since it can add protection against moisture and direct exposure against air.
But, when you want to wrap the silver, be sure to use soft cloth so that it does not get damaged or scratched by the cloth itself.
Don’t Store Your Silver in A Box with Adhesive Material
This is something that a lot of people can be unaware of with regards to how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box.
Whenever you want to pick a jewelry box for storing your silver, you should buy one that is either made out of one whole piece, or with multiple parts screwed together. In other words, you should not buy something that has various pieces attached to one another using adhesives…like glue.
The reason for that is that adhesives usually contain sulfur. And sulfur is the prime cause for tarnishing. So, with these types of jewelry boxes (i.e., the ones that come with adhesives), you’ll speed up the tarnishing process rather than prevent it.
How to Clean Tarnished Silver?
That is as far as we are going to go about how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box. Now, let’s take a look at what you should do if you somehow do end up getting some tarnished silver on your hands.
For Low Level of Tarnishing
If the amount of tarnishing on the silver is not at an alarming level i.e., it has formed a total black layer, it can be cleaned somewhat easily. Here is what you will need to do.
- Prepare a solution of warm water and dish shop. The solution should be very mild, with just a couple of drops of dish shop in a bowl of warm water. (95:5 ratio)
- Then, take a soft piece of cloth and use it to apply the solution to the silver.
- After the tarnish has budged or come off, rinse the silver in cool water.
- Rub gently with a cloth until dry.
For High Level of Tarnishing
If, on the other hand, the tarnishing has reached alarming proportions viz., it has formed a black layer on top and is refusing to budge, you will have to do the following.
- Create a mixture with ¾ parts of baking soda and ¼ water.
- Use a soft cloth to apply this mixture to the silver.
- Carefully rub the mixture all around the jewelry where there is tarnishing.
- Rinse in cool water and dry.
This process should not be repeated a lot as it can affect the look of the jewelry. You should acquaint yourself with the steps on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box in order to stop it from happening in the first place.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why Does Silver Tarnish in Storage?
Silver can tarnish in storage if it is exposed to moisture or sulfur-containing compounds. Merely keeping silver in storage is not enough to save it from getting tarnished. You also have to make sure that you keep it away from moisture as all types of sulfur-containing materials. You can find more information about this in our guide on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box.
2. Does Wrapping Silver in Plastic Keep It from Tarnishing?
Yes, if the wrapping is done properly. Wrapping silver in plastic essentially prevents it from getting in contact with sulfur-containing gases as well as moisture. However, for this to be effective, the plastic has to be properly sealed.
As we discussed above in our guide on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box, using Ziploc bags is a good method that you can try for this purpose.
3. Does Tarnished Silver Lose Value?
Yes, it does.
Being tarnished does not actually bring any change in the form and composition of the silver itself. However, due to the discoloration and lack of luster, it can lose value when being sold. Untarnished silver looks a whole lot better than tarnished stuff.
Be sure to follow the steps mentioned in our guide on how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box to avoid this problem.
4. Should You Keep Silver Bars in Plastic?
Although plastic can help protect silver bars from getting in touch with air, there is the danger of moisture developing inside it (the plastic). As far as possible, you should avoid keeping silver bars in plastic. You can keep them in dedicated capsules and cases that are available specifically for protecting silver bars from getting tarnished.
5. Do Anti Tarnish Jewelry Boxes Work?
Yes, they work…if they are manufactured properly.
The main idea behind anti-tarnish jewelry boxes is to prevent the silver stored inside from getting exposed to sulfur-containing gases. If the construction of the box features some type of layering that can repel or absorb such gases, then you can safely store your silver inside it.
This is, by the way, something we mentioned as a primary step in our how to keep silver from tarnishing in jewelry box guide.