11/03/2025
The topic of sterling silver comes up allot at events. Customers are under the impression that sterling does not tarnish. That silverplate is cheap, it tarnishes badly. Varying opinions.
My best response is this. First, both sterling silver and silverplate tarnish. If it lays around untouched, it will tarnish. Even, in use, it will tarnish. Next, silverware was not created to be anything except as eating utensils. It is the Artist that had a vision to use it to create jewelry and other things. A form of art.
Wearing of silverware. It will turn me green. Yes, that can happen. Makes no difference if it is sterling, plated or stainless. It is you. It is the environment. It is everything the silverware comes into contact with. Hand sanitizers. Dish soaps. Hand lotions. Houshold bleach is a big problem. Any household cleanser. Just to name a few. The silverware metals react to its environment. In turn, it can transfer that reaction and turn you green. Some people, no problem. Others, it is just not an option to wear it.
What I have seen over all my years creating jewelry is that the more you wear it the less chance it will tarnish. Especially rings. You act as its polishing cloth. The more you wear it, the more you touch it, roll it, move it, take it on and off. Sterling or silverplate, all appears to be the same.
Difference between sterling and silverplate: silverplate tends to be heavier. It is silver coated (plated) over base metals. Sterling is lighter, easier to bend, more delicate and it cost a whole heck of a lot more to buy it. It is .925 silver and not just a coat of silverplate.
I am not a metal expert by any stretch of the means. But I have several years experience working with it.
Here is what a quick google search says about sterling:
Yes, sterling silver does tarnish, as it's a natural chemical reaction that occurs when the silver reacts with sulfur compounds in the air, forming a silver sulfide layer. This process can also be accelerated by moisture, chemicals, and pollutants. Tarnishing is not permanent and can be reversed with proper cleaning.
