Jewelry

[depglass]

Hypothetically, if one were to put a badly tarnished piece, like a larger bracelet, into a tarnish proof box, would the tarnish migrate onto clean pieces?  Obviously I wouldn't do that, but I sure don't clean my pieces every time I wear them.  So the premise is the same, will the tarnish migrate?  

[faeriemoon]

Since the box prevents tarnish, I would say no.  It will prevent tarnished pieces from tarnishing further, so I would not expect "migration" onto other pieces.

The big mistake some make is thinking that it's a magic box, and you simply place all your tarnished stuff in and the next time you open it all your pieces will sparkle.

[Shanus]

All silver or gold tarnished pieces must be polished before placing them in a "tarnish proof box". Please note that many such boxes are not air tight as advertised, so your pieces may get tarnished anyway. 

I prefer putting my polished silver jewelry in a ziplock bag with those "squares" that come w/ silver jewelry or a yellow Sunshine Cloth. It seems to keep the air out and tarnish, too. 

You can purchase small ziplocks at the pharmacy section (usually used for pills), but great for earrings, rings and smaller pieces.  Sandwich size bags work for necklackes, bracelets, etc.

***The best way to keep jewelry tarnish free is to wear them often and not save them for special times.

[millieshops]

@Shanus    That's lots of good info about caring for our silver.

I would add that even once tarnish-proof boxes may not stay tarnish proof after many uses -  opening and closing them, moving them, can have their effects.   

(I intend to replace my microwave oven soon -  it still functions well, but I can see that it no longer closes as tightly as it once did.  Our jewelry boxes aren't dangerous as microwaves might be, but they are subject to some of the same laws of engineering.)

[Shanus]

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@millieshops wrote:

@Shanus    That's lots of good info about caring for our silver.

I would add that even once tarnish-proof boxes may not stay tarnish proof after many uses -  opening and closing them, moving them, can have their effects.   

(I intend to replace my microwave oven soon -  it still functions well, but I can see that it no longer closes as tightly as it once did.  Our jewelry boxes aren't dangerous as microwaves might be, but they are subject to some of the same laws of engineering.)

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Great explanation @millieshops ....

[depglass]

I have a huge "collection" and have to use boxes to keep some semblance of order.  I have a habit of wearing rings and putting them into a special bowl when I switch out.  Periodically I empty the bowl and put the rigs back into the correct box.  I can see where I'm picking up more tarnish just by leaving these pieces out.  

[Shanus]

@depglass   I have a shallow glass bowl on my dresser, too. I keep 6-7 silver bangles in there, my watch, a pr. of earrings I wear daily. The fact that they're worn every day keeps them tarnish free.

All the other silver jewelry (I don't wear gold) is in the ziplocks and I switch them out from time to time. I have a few bracelets that are my "signature pieces" and wear every day...I add to those. 

If I kept them in boxes, they would tarnish, I couldn't see what I had and many great pieces would be forgotten.

[Desertdi]

I go by the old adage:   One rotten apple spoils the bushel

[SilleeMee]

The answer is "no".

[banned again]

Again, no. Sulfosalts form on the silver when it reacts to the air. If you live near a phosphorus plant your silver will tarnish faster.

The anti-tarnish fabric is meant to absorb the sulphates in the air, so having the jewelry case be 100% airtight is not necessary. The anti-tarnish fabric is there because it is impractical to have a hermetically sealed jewelry box.