Sterling silver is a silver alloy that contains 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent of other metals; it's often identified by the marking "925." For various purposes, it's preferred over pure silver, which is too soft to withstand the shaping and molding processes of creating jewelry.

Your sterling silver jewelry, unlike pure silver, requires special care as it naturally tarnishes or oxidizes over time because of an inevitable reaction with gases or substances in the air such as sulfur.

• Silver jewelry that won't be worn for a while must be sealed in a plastic or cloth bag to minimize exposure to oxygen, humidity, and damage. Do not store your sterling silver jewelry in foam or felt-lined jewelry boxes as the chemicals in these materials hasten the oxidation process. When you aren’t wearing it, if you can store it in plastic, it will stay tarnish free longer.
• Do not wear silver jewelry in water that is chlorinated and do not wear the jewelry while using household chemicals. Also, remove your jewelry when bathing.
• Don’t allow your silver jewelry to be around hair spray, hair coloring chemicals or nail chemicals.
• The best way to prevent tarnish is to wear your sterling silver jewelry as often as possible.