Prevent Tarnishing and Keep Your Silver Rings Shining with Our Expert Tips

Silver jewelry has been a timeless classic for centuries due to its beauty and shine, particularly silver rings. Unfortunately, silver is highly susceptible to becoming tarnished, which can mar its shine and luster, making your ring look dull.

Thankfully, there are some easy ways to keep your silver rings shining. Let’s talk about how to prevent tarnishing and keep your silver rings looking pristine!

What is Tarnish?

Tarnish is a thin layer of corrosion that can form on the surface of metals like brass, copper, gold, and silver. This occurs due to chemical reactions happening between the metal and different substances such as water, air, sulfur, or other chemicals and compounds.

Related: Why Does Silver Tarnish? Causes and Fixes

Depending on the metal that the tarnish is on, there will be different signs of corrosion that you will be able to see. Tarnish on gold and brass usually have a dark, yellowish-brown layer on the surface of the metal, while copper and silver can form a light green or blue layer on their surface when it tarnishes. Regardless of what metal that the tarnish is on, it will make the surface look less reflective, dull, and look dirty.

Tarnish can affect more than just the way your silver looks, it can start to weaken it and make it more vulnerable to damage such as cracking, chipping, or breaking. Over time, tarnish can cause the metal to permanently lose its original luster, which can significantly impact the value of the silver, especially if the silver is in jewelry, coins, or collectibles.

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How Do I Clean Tarnish Off My Silver Ring?

There are quite a few ways to clean tarnish off of a silver ring, but here are some of our favorite methods.

Jewelry Polishing Cloth

A jewelry polishing cloth is a great way to clean the tarnish off of your silver rings. Make sure to use a dry, clean, and soft cloth to gently wipe the silver ring to remove any loose dirt or dust that may have accumulated on the ring.

Take the jewelry polishing cloth and unfold it onto a flat, smooth, and stable surface. Carefully take your silver ring and place it inside the cloth so that the cloth completely envelopes and covers the ring. 

Related: How to Clean Tarnished Jewelry

Use your fingers to gently rub the ring in a circular motion against the jewelry polishing cloth. You do not have to put too much muscle into it, light pressure is more than enough to let the jewelry polishing cloth work its magic.

Once you’ve removed the tarnish, use a soft, clean cloth to buff the ring and bring the shine back to its surface. Take a moment to inspect the silver ring to see if there are any areas that need to be cleaned again. Make sure that you store the jewelry polishing cloth in a cool, dry, and dark place after folding it back up properly.

Dish Soap and Warm Water

You can also use gentle dish soap and warm water to effectively clean that tarnish off of your silver ring. Start by filling up a shallow bowl with some warm water. 

Add a couple of drops of dish soap that do not have any added fragrances or harsh chemical cleaners such as bleach. Using your hands, stir the water up until it develops a light lather on the surface of the water. Carefully place the ring into the soapy solution and let it soak for ten to fifteen minutes. 

After your silver ring has soaked for at least ten minutes, use a toothbrush with a soft bristle or a soft cloth to gently scrub the silver ring in circular motions. If some of the grime that is stuck on the ring is especially stubborn, you can soak it for an additional five minutes and then try carefully scrubbing it again.

Once the silver ring is nice and clean, rinse it in a bowl of clean, warm water and then dry it using a clean, soft cloth. Allow the ring to air dry on top of the cloth.

How Can I Prevent Tarnish?

Thankfully, there are a couple of things that we can do to prevent your silver ring from tarnishing in the first place. Make sure that you use one of the methods we discussed to regularly clean your silver ring. This makes it much easier to clean the tarnish off.

Related: Silver vs Gold Jewelry: How Do I Decide?

Make sure that you remove your silver ring and store it in a safe location whenever you are washing your hands, showering, swimming, or enjoying a hot tub. The soaps and lotions that you will use during and after a shower can cause your silver ring to attract more tarnish, and the chlorine from the pools will cause corrosion damage to your ring which can also lead to tarnishing.

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Final Thoughts

We hope that you try cleaning your silver ring using one of our methods the next time you notice it losing its original luster. Remember to clean your ring regularly to keep it looking great for years to come.