Silver tarnishing with unknown cause

I use 925 Sterling Silver in my jewelry making and recently have been really struggling with tarnishing without being able to find the cause. I first bought my silver last summer and made my first set of pieces by the beginning of September. Up until the following summer I had no issues with my silver at all. But then when the hot and humid summer came, despite my best efforts to keep our third floor attic apartment cool and dry, I began noticing some tarnishing. The thing is I'm not totally convinced the humidity was the issue. All the findings that were kept in their original packaging in my drawers were absolutely fine, no tarnishing at all. It was only my finished pieces that sit in small plastic storage containers that were starting to lightly tarnish. I even keep everything covered with a curtain and don't open the blinds for the windows that face my drawers. So I bought a polishing cloth and started polishing the tarnished pieces, regularly checking for new ones popping up. Believing at first it was just the humidity, I thought the problem would go away now that it's cooler but I'm still seeing some tarnishing show up. It mostly seems to only be my silver posts, not my jump rings or hooks.

I'm starting to get really discouraged and considering changing metals. But my customers love the feel of the silver as it doesn't bother their ears, and I love the shiny look of it. Does anyone know what might be happening? I did not change the types of containers they are in or where they are stored. The only thing I did change is which resin I use on my pieces. I'm not sure if that would really do anything, but I did have to change brands end of spring this year. Any ideas you have are much appreciated! I'm getting tired of constantly polishing pieces :(

Tarnishing is a chemical reaction with sulphur containing pollutants in the air, or on fingers. The speed of tarnishing increases with temperature.
We all like working with silver and wearing it, but it is best stored in closed boxes or ziplock bags containing generous amounts of anti-tarnish strips or tabs.
These are long lasting, and easily available online. When sending work out it is best to include tabs which are printed to explain their purpose.

Some of our members have changed to Argentium silver which is brighter from the outset, and takes much longer to discolour in use. It is hallmarked as 925.
However the range of findings, chains and accessories is more limited. It takes some adjustments in technique to make, notably being very fragile while hot. It is also somewhat more expensive.
Dennis.

Thanks for your replies Dennis, your knowledgeable and wise comments always make an interesting read on many complex subjects … good work … N

One of the reasons I gave up on Stirling I now exclusively use Argentium, especially the new 940.

Thank you , Nick, but I'll have to keep up. Bob is ahead of me with Argentium 940.

The tarnish seems very specific to the plastic container.Some plastics give off a chemical reaction hence the advice on not reusing plastic water bottles. It may be that the heat started off that reaction and even though the temperature changed the reaction had already occurred .
Just a thought as my finished jewellery can sit in its boxes for months with a tarnish tab and no air and it doesn’t need much done.

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Originally Posted by CJ57

The tarnish seems very specific to the plastic container.Some plastics give off a chemical reaction hence the advice on not reusing plastic water bottles. It may be that the heat started off that reaction and even though the temperature changed the reaction had already occurred .
Just a thought as my finished jewellery can sit in its boxes for months with a tarnish tab and no air and it doesn’t need much done.

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What type of box do you use to store yours?

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Originally Posted by china

One of the reasons I gave up on Stirling I now exclusively use Argentium, especially the new 940.

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I'll have to check out argentium, might be a good alternative for me as well. For the moment I'm going to try and fight the tarnish as I do really love the sterling silver.

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Originally Posted by Dennis

Tarnishing is a chemical reaction with sulphur containing pollutants in the air, or on fingers. The speed of tarnishing increases with temperature.
We all like working with silver and wearing it, but it is best stored in closed boxes or ziplock bags containing generous amounts of anti-tarnish strips or tabs.
These are long lasting, and easily available online. When sending work out it is best to include tabs which are printed to explain their purpose.

Some of our members have changed to Argentium silver which is brighter from the outset, and takes much longer to discolour in use. It is hallmarked as 925.
However the range of findings, chains and accessories is more limited. It takes some adjustments in technique to make, notably being very fragile while hot. It is also somewhat more expensive.
Dennis.

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I never realized you could get tabs that had print on them, that's a good idea. I bought some tabs off amazon but when I tested them it appeared to make things worse. I did a little research and I'm wondering if they were charcoal ones? I did find a good website with some tarnish tabs I'm going to purchase instead.

I used to store them in their boxes with a tarnish tab. Mine don’t have print, and the air doesn’t get at them so there was little tarnish that can’t be rubbed off with a cloth. I now wrap or layer them in tissue with a tab and they are in a stacking case

Any plastic box, or bag, that does not allow air to flow in and out will do.
For tabs to use, 3M ones work well, but to send out something like this might be better: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1137...QaAoSZEALw_wcB

I use Town Talk silver sparkle tabs, which I put into each ziplock bag and have never had an issue with tarnish. Some packaging gives off chemicals which makes items tarnish quicker and I think the Birmingham Assay Office did a study on it some time ago about it,

One thing you could try is adding silica gel packets to your storage containers. They help absorb moisture and can help prevent tarnishing. Also, make sure your pieces are completely dry before sealing them in the containers.

Hi there,

I have experienced something similar.. A customer of mine got their ring last sunday and only two days later she is contacting me explaining the ring has started to get black around the edges and inside. I haven't used any burning technices on the ring. From my research it could be ones pH-value in sweat, or choice of parfume or handcreme ect. does anyone else know what could be the cause of such a quick reaction? why doesn't any of her other silver jewelry react this way and what can be done on her part to fix it? :) thank you so much!

That has been a regular topic over the years, with never any clear solution. One thing is certain: You will get the blame for apparently passing off inferior metal.
If none of your guesses solves it, then re-fund and move on. Dennis.

On other forums silver immediately going black ‘without reason’ often means they have either been in the hot tub, swimming or usd other such cleaning agents, more than likely with rings. Could be hand cream, perfume, hairspray, who know really what someone does once they get something home

You'll find that one of the biggest problems is that people expect the same from their handmade pieces as they get from the mass-produced stuff they're used to, which has almost inevitably been plated with fine silver rather than being properly polished, and as a result doesn't really start to tarnish until that fine outer layer has worn away (as it inevitably will).

If it's a higher value piece, I'd recommend including a small cleaning cloth (even one cut down from a larger one) and a little explanation that silver will tarnish when in contact with many different things, but that it can be brought back to a high shine with just a tiny bit of effort.