To maintain the beauty of your sterling silver jewelry just follow these simple rules:

1. Remove your jewelry before washing dishes, swimming or using any product that contains bleach, ammonia, alcohol, turpentine and fingernail polish removers that contain acetone. These items could cause a breakdown in the metal alloys leaving your jewelry beyond repair, dull or pit the surface of the gemstones. Avoid using strong chemicals, spraying hairspray, or putting on makeup etc. while wearing your jewelry. Put jewelry on after using hiarspray and putting on makeup.
2. Clean before storing and store properly. Store jewelry in an air-tight protective bag made of tarnish proof cloth or a plastic zip- lock bag made of Mylar (turkey cooking bags) or polyethylene. But beware some plastic contains sulfur compounds which can cause your jewelry to tarnish faster or stain, so do not use polyvinyl plastic bags. Avoid storing directly on wood surfaces, and do not place in a card board box or on paper as they contain sulfur producing compounds that increase the rate of oxidation.
3. Keep tarnish to a minimum by storing properly and cleaning before it becomes overly tarnished. Follow the recommend cleaning methods below.
4. Check for loose stones or parts and have them repaired immediately to prevent lose of stones or parts. Stones may loosen over time. If a stone rocks in its setting you will need to tighten the bezel around the stone to prevent loss of gemstones. It is advisable to consult a jeweler to tighten the bezel.
   Jewelry is meant to be worn. Your body oils will slow the tarnishing process. Touch your jewelry a lot. This may sound funny, but you won’t have to clean it as often and remember, using a cleaning and polishing cloth just takes a few minutes.

Storing your sterling silver jewelry
Sterling silver stored in the open air and humidity for extended periods of time can cause it to tarnish quickly. Tarnish first appears as a golden hue then quickly turns to black. This process is normal and is caused by oxidization, moisture and sunshine.
To reduce tarnish, sterling silver jewelry should be kept in an air-tight protective bag made of tarnish proof cloth or a plastic zip- lock bag made of Mylar (turkey cooking bags) or polyethylene. But beware some plastic contains sulfur compounds which can cause your jewelry to tarnish faster or stain, so do not use polyvinyl plastic bags. Zip-lock bags work well for storing sterling silver jewelry to protect from tarnish. Some jewelers store their sterling silver jewelry in plastic bags. Sterling silver jewelry, stored properly, can be worn often and with minimal cleaning required, making it easy to care for and lots of fun to wear.
Sterling silver jewelry is scratch resistant but it isn't scratch proof, so you should store your jewelry so that it isn't rubbing up against other articles.
Avoid storing your sterling silver jewelry on wood surfaces, especially Oak, because wood usually contains acids that can mar the finish. Your sterling silver should not be stored with other metals, like copper or rubber, as these too may cause tarnish and damage.

Cleaning and Caring for Sterling Silver Jewelry
Sterling silver can be taken care of and cleaned with a minimum amount of time and effort. Keeping sterling silver tarnish free and sparkling is pretty easy if you follow a few simple steps, so go ahead, cover yourself in silver. You’ll love the way you look! Your sterling silver jewelry is a metal that is meant to be worn. If you leave it lying around, it will tarnish. The products mentioned below are products that we use. They do a great job in cleaning sterling silver jewelry and are available on our website.
Cleaning your sterling silver jewelry
Clean your sterling silver jewelry with a soft 100% cotton cloth (nub free), flannel cloth, special sterling silver cleaning cloth or very soft bristle brush, (i.e. a babies tooth brush or a horsehair silver brush) and gently rub off any excess makeup or dirt. Remember silver is a very soft metal and can be scratched so don't rub it too briskly. Do not use paper, polyester, or coarse fabrics as they often contain wood fibers or synthetics that can cause tiny scratches on sterling silver jewelry. Dirt left from previous cleanings may also scratch your jewelry.
If you wear your sterling silver jewelry regularly, your body oils help to keep the tarnish down and cleaning to a minimum.
We use e+Zest Fine Jewelry Care Cloth and Fashion Jewelry Care Cloth. They are not for use on pearls, opals, coral, lapis lazuli, malachite, ivory, or turquoise. The Fine Jewelry Care Cloth cannot be used on 24 karat gold or lacquered surfaces. The Fashion Jewelry Care Cloth can be use on 24 karat gold and lacquered surfaces.

Types of Cleaners
Light cleanings: Light dirt, fingerprints or makeup can be removed by using a small amount of mild liquid detergent to 1/2 cup of warm water. Rinse thoroughly with clean water. If your jewelry contains gemstones be careful as a cleanser that is too harsh could damage the polish on stones. Dry the jewelry completely before storing in an air tight zip lock bag. Sterling silver jewelry can also be cleaned with little effort using a polishing cloth. After polishing it buff with a soft cotton cloth (i.e. old diaper or cotton t-shirt).
Deep cleaning: If the jewelry is heavily tarnished and needs more cleaning than a polishing cloth can provide, use a silver paste, liquid cleaner or a silver polish spray. Deep cleaning of sterling silver jewelry with gemstones require a little more care. Deep cleaning is divided into 2 parts, cleaning jewelry with gemstones and cleaning jewelry without gemstones.
Some paste cleaners are not recommended for soft, porous gemstones, so make sure to use a polish or cleanser that will not harm your gemstones.
Deep cleaning sterling silver without gemstones: To clean excessive tarnish, clean with a soft cloth and a non-abrasive liquid or paste silver polish. Dip polish cleaners or pastes on sterling silver without gemstones is safe and will not harm your sterling silver.
How to Clean
Rub with a lengthwise motion, as a circular motion may cause scratches. Don't feel that you have to get every bit of tarnish from lines and crevices. Some choose to leave tarnish in the deep crevices to enhance the look of the piece. Leaving some of the tarnish in hard to reach areas just adds definition and an antique look. If you want to remove tarnish in hard to reach areas, use a very soft brush, like a child's tooth brush, a jewelry horse hair silver brush, or a mushroom brush. A mushroom brush can be found at most grocery stores. After cleaning with a silver polish, use a clean cloth to remove any residual cleaner from your jewelry. After using the paste, the liquid or the polishing cloth make sure all trace of the polish has been removed from gemstones and rinse thoroughly with clean water.

Be Careful not to scratch the surface: The polished sheen was produced by the skilled hands of silversmiths that spent time filing, sanding and buffing the sterling silver piece It is the light reflecting off this surface that gives it the shine. Tiny scratches on the surface diminishes the sheen as the light can’t bounce off the surface as well as it once did. Pieces that are terribly scratched, should be taken to a bench jeweler to see if they can be re-polished and scratches remove to return the jewelry to its’ original or close to original shine. Soft cotton cloth, soft sponges or soft bristle brushes should be used to clean your sterling silver. If in doubt, test a small area not easily seen and clean that area first. Wipe it dry and inspect it under a strong light to see if the brush used left scratches. Remember, all metal cleaners have some type of small abrasive particles that help to clean and may inevitably cause some form of fine scratches. These are not that obvious and after a time will blend with the fine scratches caused by wearing the piece. Even with fine scratches they will still have a beautiful soft sheen that is prized by many.

Using a sterling silver paste or liquid cleaner: Always follow manufacturers directions, but basically you just apply to all silver areas, let it dry and then polish with a soft cotton cloth. Rinse with cool water to remove all the cleaner.
Use of baking soda or toothpaste: Using toothpaste or baking soda seems to be controversial. Some say yes and others say NO! The reason for the controversy is that baking soda and toothpaste are abrasive. Use at your own risk, if in doubt, don't. Stick to a trusted silver cleaner.
Cleaning sterling silver with an ultrasonic cleaner: Sterling Silver pieces without stones can be cleaned in an ultrasonic cleaner. If the piece has semi-precious gemstones the stones may crumble or turn black in the ultrasonic cleaner. Also Marquisite should not be soaked or placed in an ultrasonic cleaner. This could loosen the stones.

Long term care of your jewelry adds to its life: Unfortunately, everything changes with time, use and wear. You need only to look in the mirror to be reminded of that fact. Sterling silver and Sterling silver jewelry with gemstones is no different. There are several things that can help prolong the life of your jewelry. Keep it clean. It is much easier to remove tarnish and soil when it is minimal. If you allow your jewelry to turn black with tarnish, it may damage the metal. The longer you go between cleanings the harder it is to restore it to its’ original luster. So best to keep it clean with a polishing cloth and store it in an air tight bag, such as a zip-lock bag, to keep tarnish down. Or better yet wear it, this helps keep tarnish down.