Silver wire and tarnish?

I have recently begun using fine sterling silver wire in my jewelry
and am wondering if I will have a problem with it tarnishing.
Should I be coating the wire or the pieces with anything? The wire
is crimped in ways that will not allow polishing of the finished
piece. Thank you, so much, for any leads or advice! LM Dias

Hi,

All sterling will tarnish over time. I don’t know of any 'coating’
that can be applied that won’t also wear off if the item is worn as
jewelry or otherwise used.

One of the ways to polish items like this is to use a tumbler with
assorted shapes of steel (or stainless steel) shot. The shot
burnishes the item(s) to a very high luster. Any stones or other
things that are part of the item must be able to withstand the shot
& the soap & liquid (usually water) in the tumbler.

Dave

Which is it? Fine silver, or Sterling silver? The two terms are
distinct and not interchangeable. Fine silver is pure silver,
Sterling is usually 925/75 silver and copper alloy.

I’ve found that fine silver takes a long time to tarnish, and
Sterling gets right to work on it.

Your best bet is to tumble the pieces to polish them, then coat them
with some clear finish.

Loren http://www.golden-knots.com/

    All sterling will tarnish over time. I don't know of any
'coating' that can be applied that won't also wear off if the item
is worn as jewelry or otherwise used. 

Although I have never used it, there is perhaps an sterling alloy
out there with “anti tarnishing” properties. If my memory serves me
right I believe they add a chemical to the silver/copper alloy.

i’ve also suggested to any customer i might get to wear their
jewellery often, and also for a bath (soap and water also does
wonders)

erhard www.erhardkruger.com

I’ve used Procraft Lacquer as well as Midas Finish Seal lacquer. The
first one is slightly yellow but the Midas lacquer is clear and
water-soluble. In both instances when spots are worn off it is
almost worse than nothing at all because it cannot be spot repaired.
Drip lines, bubbles and lacquer pooling inside clasps, are other
problems with these dipping lacquers. Also, the Midas product
scratches easily. I’ve mostly spent time removing these lacquers.

Tarni-shield, a silver polish, might be good but it is thick and
gooey and difficult to buff off in small areas.

Last year, someone on Orchid suggested auto wax (thank you), but I
couldn’t find the reference in the archives. I am using Turtle Wax
Finish 2001 car polish. It is a silicone resin, urethane product,
and not a wax. I brush it on and use a soft cloth to buff off the
haze. I have been wearing a pair of coated sterling silver earrings
24/7 since last October (washed with mild soap now and then), and
the coating is holding up with no signs of wearing off or changing
color. (I do not coat the earwires.) For cars, the product
manufacturer claims it withstands more than 12 months of car washes,
resists salt spray, tree sap, bird droppings and road tar, and is an
ultraviolet ray blocker. My jewelry is not subjected to these
assaults, but the coating does seem to protect against tarnish. Try
it! Nancy www.psi-design.com