Tarnish-Free Jewelry

Tarnish is a chemical reaction, not dirt. When a metal meets air, moisture and the oils on your skin, it oxidises — silver goes grey, copper and brass go dark and can leave a green mark behind. Stainless steel is far more resistant to that reaction, which is why everything here is built on it.

Why some jewellery turns skin green

That green mark is copper reacting with your skin. It is harmless, but it means the base metal is exposed and the piece is beyond touching up. It happens fastest on rings, because they sit against skin and get wet more than anything else you own. A stainless-steel base does not have that copper to give up.

"Tarnish resistant" is the honest word

No plated jewellery is chemically immune to everything forever. What stainless steel buys you is that the base will not corrode, so a piece does not go from new to unwearable in a few weeks the way plated brass can. Expect it to hold its colour through ordinary daily wear — showers, weather, workouts.

If a piece does look dull

Nine times out of ten it is a film of soap, lotion or sunscreen rather than tarnish. Warm water, a drop of mild dish soap, a soft cloth, then dry it completely. Do not reach for silver polish — it is abrasive and will take plating off.

How to keep it looking new

• Rinse with fresh water after swimming in the ocean or a chlorinated pool, then pat dry.
• Put jewellery on last — after perfume, sunscreen and hairspray have dried.
• Store pieces separately so they don't scratch each other.
• Wipe with a soft dry cloth now and then. Skip polishing compounds and ultrasonic cleaners; they are made for solid metal, not plating.