Sterling silver tarnishes. That is not a flaw; it is a property of the metal. How quickly it tarnishes depends on the environment, how often the piece is worn, and whether it has an oxidised finish or a bright one. The care routine for a piece from this studio is simple and takes about five minutes a month if you keep up with it.
Why sterling silver tarnishes ¶
Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. The copper content is what tarnishes. It reacts with sulphur compounds in the air, in skin, and in some fabrics to form copper sulphide, which is dark brown to black. The silver itself does not tarnish at room temperature. So the rate of tarnishing depends partly on how much copper is at the surface, which varies by alloy, and partly on the sulphur content of the environment. Coastal air, rubber, wool, and some perfumes accelerate tarnishing.
Bright-finish pieces: cleaning and storage ¶
For bright-finish pieces, the goal is to slow tarnishing and remove it when it appears. Storage in a small zip-lock bag with the air squeezed out is the single most effective thing you can do. It limits sulphur exposure between wears. For cleaning, a soft cloth with a small amount of silver polishing paste, worked in one direction rather than circular, removes tarnish without scratching the satin finish. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners, which can loosen cold-connection rivets.
Oxidised pieces: what to clean and what to leave ¶
Oxidised pieces need a different approach. The dark patina in the recessed angles is intentional and should not be polished away. The raised surfaces, which are bright, will tarnish over time and can be polished lightly with a silver cloth. The key is to use a cloth rather than paste on oxidised pieces, because paste removes the patina from recessed areas if it gets into them. A silver polishing cloth, used on the raised surfaces only, keeps the contrast between bright and dark without disturbing the oxidised finish.
Mixed-metal pieces: brass and sterling together ¶
Mixed-metal pieces, like the sterling and brass cuff, tarnish at different rates on each metal. Brass develops a warm brown patina that many people prefer to the bright original. Sterling tarnishes to a cooler grey-brown. The contrast between the two metals deepens over time, which is part of the design intention. If you want to slow the patina on both metals, store the piece in a zip-lock bag. If you want to remove tarnish from the sterling strips while leaving the brass patina, use a silver cloth carefully on the sterling sections only.
When to send a piece back to the studio ¶
If the oxidised finish on a recessed area has worn away unevenly, or if a rivet has loosened, those are both things the studio can fix. Re-oxidising a piece costs nothing beyond the return postage if it is a piece from this studio. Rivet replacement starts at 2,500 yen. Send a photograph first so the work can be assessed before you post the piece. Turnaround is usually ten to fourteen days.
Most pieces from this studio will look better after a year of wear than they did on the day they arrived, if they are worn regularly and stored simply. The patina is part of the piece.