Can I Wear My Silver Jewelry at the Beach and Other Questions About Silver Jewelry

Silver bracelets, silver rings, silver earrings – silver jewelry is gorgeous with just about anything you want to wear. Its lower price makes handmade silver jewelry more popular than gold jewelry, and its versatility means that you can wear your silver pieces with everything from shorts and a t-shirt to a formal gown. On the other hand, many people are a little afraid of buying silver jewelry because they’ve heard that it’s prone to tarnish and must be cared for in certain ways. To that, lovers of silver jewelry say, “Bah!” The fact is that silver earrings, silver chains and other types of silver finery are no more delicate than any other kind of jewelry. Here are the answers to some of the questions you might have about wearing and caring for your silver.

Can I Wear My Silver Jewelry at the Beach?

Silver chains around your waist, silver rings for your toes and silver anklets may be the perfect accent for your tanned and bikini-clad body, but you do need to make a few concessions here. Silver is soft and scratches easily, so be careful exposing it to harsh sand. Seawater can contain minerals and elements that may darken your silver (so does chlorine, by the way, so don’t wear your silver in the pool, either) so slip off your silver charms and earrings before you dive into the drink.

Will Silver Turn My Skin Green or Black?

Not usually – especially not if it’s .995 sterling silver, which is 99.5 percent pure. Very few people react badly to silver metal, but silver is so soft that it’s nearly always combined with another metal before it’s made into jewelry. If it’s combined with copper or nickel, your skin may darken or take on a green tint where the metal touches it. That’s because your body’s chemicals interact with the metal. It will generally wash off easily. If you know that your skin reacts to silver jewelry with discoloration, you can try painting the insides of silver rings or silver bracelets with clear nail polish to prevent it.

My Silver Pendant Is Dull and Discolored. Is It Ruined?

It’s probably just a little tarnished, and that’s easy to fix. The best way to deal with tarnish on silver jewelry is to buff the piece with a silver jeweler’s cloth, which will polish away the tarnish and discoloration. You can also try soaking it for a short time in a bowl lined with aluminum foil and filled with salt water.

Silver jewelry is far too pretty and versatile to avoid wearing it because you think it’s hard to take care of – especially since it’s not true. In fact, the best thing you can do for your silver jewelry is to wear it frequently – so enjoy!