That is one of the questions most commonly asked concerning silver and gold jewelry. ALL jewelry tarnishes, however, not ALL jewelry will leave you "green". So, how do you tell?

Well, first of all, sometimes it isn't the jewelry at all. Sometimes we have a little too much acidity in our skin which may react to certain types of metals when it comes in contact. The most common culprite is nickel, which is found in most jewelry that is "plated" or "filled".

One way to avoid this is to buy jewelry that is NICKEL FREE. Also, you can look closely at what the seller lists as the BASE METAL (what is underneath the plating or filling) of the particular piece you are looking at. If it is listed simply as "base metal", you may want to excercise caution and not purchase this item. Items like this have a nasty habit of wearing off very quickly and leaving you with an ugly and discolored piece of "junk" that used to be jewelry.

What I would consider as "safe" base metals:

1. .925 sterling silver
2. 14k gold
3. platinum
4. brass (in most cases)

In other words, if the base metal isn't listed as genuine gold, silver, platinum, or brass, I would use caution!!

Now, I don't want to discourage anyone from buying items listed as "plated" or "filled", as many professional jewelers will add a platinum or rhodium finish to jewelry such as sterling silver and gold which will increase the length of time in which the metal retains it's shine without tarnishing. It also makes the jewelry look like real gold or platinum.

That being said, there is one thing I would like to bring to your attention. Over the course of the last couple of years, I have noticed in quite a few listings where the seller claims the item "WILL NOT" tarnish. BUH-LO-NY!!

Okay, so the item "won't" tarnish, but they "FORGOT" to add the words "AS FAST".

As I said before, ALL JEWELRY TARNISHES. 

EVERYTHING that comes in contact with your jewelry, such as AIR, SUNLIGHT, BODY OILS (the natural oils that your body produces), DIRT, HOUSEHOLD CHEMICALS (especially bleach!!),  and FOOD (you touch your food, then your hands touch your jewelry),  will cause TARNISHING!!

The only difference is, when a platinum or rhodium finish is added to fine metals, it will "not tarnish" ...."as fast". You will still need to use the old trusty polishing cloth for touch-ups, but not as much.

A few tips:

1. Invest in some anti-tarnish strips for your fine jewelry
2. Keep your jewelry in separate compartments, and, if possible, in small ziplock bags.
3. Keep your jewelry away from extreme heat or sunlight
4. Remove your jewelry when cleaning, showering (keep it dry!!), or swimming in a pool. (Chlorine bleach can ruin gold!!)
5. Keep your jewelry clean and dry.

Hope this was helpful!!

Stay tuned....there may be more later!! ;))