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