Tarnished Earwires

by Veronica Wood
(Manassas Park, VA)

Earrings by Veronica Wood

Earrings by Veronica Wood

Rena, I've been struggling for three years now with my jewelry business. I have not made a profit yet, and now I'm facing another huge loss of inventory due to tarnishing findings.

I make my own business cards and earring cards and I store my earrings in individual plastic zip lock bags when they are not on display; but my earrings are still tarnishing despite my efforts.

I have more than sixty pairs of earrings on sterling silver and gold filled ear wires and lever backs that have been on display and exposed to harsh weather conditions.

I've even had to replace all of the earring cards that got wet in a summer storm. I now laminate my earring cards.

Eighty percent of my earrings have tarnished heavily. Do I have to through away all my hard work and money or is there a way to cut my losses and salvage my jewelry?

Veronica Wood

Comments for
Tarnished Earwires

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Removing and Preventing Tarnish
by: Rena

Hi Veronica,

Don't worry - tarnish is definitely removable!

Please see these pages for helpful how-to's:

Clean Tarnished Silver Jewelry

Homemade Jewelry Cleaner

Prevent Tarnish on Your Jewelry Inventory

Cleaning Jewelry

You can also use jewelry polishing cloths such as "Sunshine Cloths" (available from most jewelry suppliers) to remove tarnish from more delicate jewelry.

Please note that some of the above methods should not be used on stones or other non-metal components. So since it sounds like the earwires are your main tarnish issue, you may want to consider removing the earwires from your earrings with stones and other non-metal components, and cleaning just the earwires. When the earwires are clean, shiny, and dry, you can re-attach them to your delicate-component earrings.
Nasty Tarnish
by: Rita Juhin

Oh that nasty tarnish. Living in Portland, OR. I deal with a lot of moisture and tarnish. The only way I get rid of it entirely is to tumble polish/burnish. I first used dish soap but after talking with a lapidary shop guy for advice about tumble polishing I discovered a burnishing soap. I don’t know what is in it; I suppose if I did a little research I’d find out. The fellow at the lapidary shop isn’t talking, he says he doesn’t know.

The lapidary soap does a couple things. It’s good for the rubber tumbler case and it leaves a coating on the jewelry that seems to protect the metals. Copper comes out looking like rose gold. It really is amazing soap. I hope if someone is familiar with this low suds lapidary soap they with spill the beans about it.

I know many people say you can’t tumble polish many stones, but I’ve tumbled almost everything including pearls. Some stones like Lapis are just too soft and stones that have been poorly dyed don’t come out the same.

Prior to the tumbler; which I got for 30.00 at Harbor Freight and stainless steel shot from the lapidary store was, I think, about 25.00, I tried almost everything known to man and I was not satisfied. Yes, it was an small investment but because I tumble polish everything it has saved me a great deal of time and money.
Thanks, Rita!
by: Rena

Rita, thanks so much for the tip about lapidary burnishing soap! :o)
tarnish behind rubber stoppers
by: CalysJewelryCreation

I also deal with tarnish. It's just one of those things..all part of the business.
You can also try the anti-tarnish zip locks instead of plain ones. They are a little more expensive, but I find they hold off the tarnish a little longer.

I do tumble polish as well when I'm doing a batch of earrings. My tumbler was one of my better investments when I first started. I didn't know why I needed it, but everybody said I "had to have one". It didn't take long to see why..lol

My problem is that I use rubber stoppers to hold my earrings on the cards. The area behind the stoppers tarnishes way before the rest of the earrings. I'm guessing it's some kind of reaction. I have to make sure I clean the earrings before the show, or clean each pair as it sells, which is a pain.
I can't not use the stoppers, all my earrings would fall off the cards and that would take more time.
Anybody have any suggestions..?
Hey Caly
by: Rita Juhlin

I’ve never heard of anti-tarnish zip locks.
Thanks!

I've also had a problem with earwire stops, not sure what is going on with that. It almost seems like the metal is having a reaction to the stops; that tarnish is more difficult to remove.
anti tarnish zip locks
by: CalysJewelryCreations

There are quite a few places to get them. I got mine at Rio. I use them for all my pieces, especially the ones I take to the Gallery. They don't put everything out, so I don't know how long it will be in the bag.
You can google them for other places.
What about. . . .
by: Rita Juhlin

I did a google and the anti-tarnish bags are everywhere. As old as I am I still learn something new everyday lol.

The cost is to much for the volume I use, what do you think about using Anti-tarnish Tabs in the regular zip-lock bags?

Sorry Rena, I didn’t mean to start a 2 person conversation here.
No worries!
by: Rena

No problem with 2-person conversations - a lot of people are "listening in" and learning valuable tips from both of you! :o)

I had heard about the anti-tarnish bags, but totally forgot about them. I haven't used them, but now I think I'll give them a try - things like that are always worth testing to see how they work for our own purposes!

The anti-tarnish bags might also be a good selling point if you package your sold jewelry in them, and let customers know about this added benefit they're receiving from you.

Thanks so much for this conversation, Rita and Caly! I'm learning from both of you! :o)
Preventing and Removing Tarnish
by: Wanda Kalbach

Veronica,

I use one of Rena's tips for storing my finished earrings -- they hang on a rotating rack and I wrap the entire rack in silvercloth (specially treated flannel), then put it in a big container for storage and transport. For my findings storage boxes, I cut up and place small squares of the 3M tarnish strips in each compartment. I also put strips in each tray of my finished jewelry storage cases, and a whole strip inside the rotating rack before I wrap it up. This helps a lot. You do need to replace the strips periodically.

But no matter what I do, over time the sterling does tarnish. I purchased an Speedbrite ionic jewelry cleaner specifically to clean tarnished sterling. It removes the tarnish very, very quickly (we're talking seconds). It was not cheap, but it has certainly earned it's keep. I don't remember where I got mine (Amazon.com, I think), but if you Google it you will find lots of sources.
Tarnish Earrings
by: Deb Mae

Your goal should be to save up and get a tumbler for sure. I had the same problem with the tarnished earrings I had in inventory. I found that putting a little Dawn Foam Soap and a sprinkl of baking soda in the palm of my hand with the earrings then rubbing my hands together and rinsing with warm to hot water and dry with soft cloth got even the toughest tarnish off. This has worked on everthing that I have tried so far, sterling, gold, brass copper and aluminum, plus has not hurt any stones or crystals.
Anti Tarnish Bags by pacificjewelrydesigns
by: Paula Huckabay

Hi everyone,

Veronica, there are some great suggestions already here and you won't lose anything but perhaps a little time.
Great topic, we all hate tarnish, I have been using the anti tarnish bags for several years now and they really do slow the tarnishing process way down. I include them with my jewelry purchases, especially sterling silver, and my customers love the fact that I care about their jewelry beyond just getting paid for it.
I've never used a tumbler...hmmmm....

Metal Tarnish
by: Jo Sheehan

I found a product called Mr. Metal that works great! I simply slip on a cotton glove, put a little dab on the fingertip and then rub gently. Takes seconds to banish the tarnish. Mr. Metal also contains an anti-tarnish guard. Hope this helps.

GmaJo's Beads
gmajosbeads.etsy.com
www.gmajosbeads.com
Pacific cloth
by: Cloud Hale Design

I store my jewelry in the regular zip bags & throw in a small piece of "Pacific Cloth" & then put all the bags in a lidded plastic tub. I also put a bigger piece in a plastic tub with all my wire stock. You get Pacific cloth at the fabric store. It's a felt cloth that is treated with anti-tarnish (meant to line jewelry boxes). You can't wash it, but 1 yard cut into 1" pieces will last a long time & is more economical than the paper strips. Change them out when you notice them not working as well. It will slow down the tarnish, but it is best to polish your inventory soon as you see tarnish starting. I use Sunshine clothes & my tumbler w/ the burnishing compound (both from Rio Grande)to polish. I use the clear vinyl ear stoppers to keep my fishhooks on the cards & I haven't had any problems with tarnishing around them. Good luck & sit down with your inventory, polishing cloth & a good movie.
Silver Polish
by: Cloud Hale Design

One more thing... the silver polish paste (for silver dishes & silverware) also works well on jewelry. I keep it away from the stones just to be safe. One jar lasts a long time for jewelry.
Keep the tarnish away
by: LaSirene Designs

Both the tumbler and the ionic cleaners (check out eBay as well for one of those; that's how we got ours)are great. I found a cheap way to keep the tarnish at bay for a while: white chalk just like you use on blackboards. Put a hunk of that in with your earrings in a plastic bag and it keeps the tarnish away for a while. Not forever, but a while!
Great ideas
by: Lisa W

I use a tumbler, and an ionic leaner is my next step. I think the anti-tarnish bags, paper strips. and fabric are great suggestions. The earring backs that promote tarnish are rubber, it's the silicon ones that don't seem to.

When you are at a show, we are usually looking for things to do, why not start cleaning? You can get a lot done during a show's slow times. Bring several cleaning cloths with you.
ya, but . . .
by: Rita Juhlin

Hey Cloud Hale Design - that sounds like work!! I'd rather tumble stuff clean ;.}

Economical tarnish removal
by: T.Rusk4u

I learned about this method sometime ago and it works well on most pieces.

Buy a disposible aluminum pan from the dollar store. Lightly crumple some more aluminum foil and place it in the bottom of the pan. Lay the pieces you want to clean on the foil and cover them with baking soda. Pour BOILING water over the baking soda. You will hear it fizzing and it will have a slight odor. Use the handle of a wood or plastic spoon and move the pieces around so you get all metal surfaces to come in contact with the foil. Rinse thoroughly under running water (stop the drain!)and dry with a soft cotton cloth. I've used this on both precious metal and plated as well and it's worked just fine. Cheap and non toxic!
* I would suggest NOT using the pan again for any type of food.
Removing and Preventing Tarnish
by: Melanie Peckham - Body & Soul Jewelry

I'm definitely checking into an ionic cleaner! I use regular ziplock baggies with an anti-tarnish strip to store each piece of completed jewelry. I try to use the smallest size baggie I can for the piece - and be sure to "squish" out as much air in the baggie as possible when I seal it.

I had never heard of silver cloth until I read Rena's “Your Profitable Jewelry Booth” book COVER TO COVER TO COVER TO COVER (it's so awesome - BUY IT! You WILL NOT BE SORRY!). I purchased a yard of silver cloth online at Hancock Fabrics for $9.99 (there's a free shipping coupon available if you do a google search). Now I store my ziplock baggies of jewelry in storage bins folded between layers of silver cloth. Every little bit helps!

I'm curious how you guys store your sterling findings and keep them tarnish-free for your next design. Ziplock baggies? Anti-tarnish strips? cloth? I was storing mine in those little plastic boxes that fit inside organizer trays. I’ve noticed all my findings getting that nasty, sticky tarnish ick all over them almost overnight – no doubt the suffocating east TN humidity is to blame! I’ve spent the last 3 nights polishing hundreds of 26 gauge sterling headpins and 2mm seamless rounds (ugh!). Would an ionic cleaner be the way to go for cleaning most sterling findings, especially the teeny tiny ones?

Happy polishing! 8-) – Melanie
Keep in mind...
by: Shannon

Veronica,
When making your own earring cards, jewelry tags, etc., make sure to use acid free archival quality paper. The sulphurs in regular paper will tarnish your silver no matter how much of the anti-tarnish paper or baggies you use or how often you are cleaning by hand.

Also, a friend of a friend gave me some 2mm sterling silver beads but they were completely tarnished - solid black. I politely accepted them and was immediately hit with the thought "What the heck am I going to do with these, clean them one by one?" I found some 'Empire's Instant Tarnish Remover' at Fire Mountain and figured "what do I really have to loose?". I used a dipping basket from another liquid cleaner and dipped it several times and "Voila!" Silver again. Like magic - well stinky magic. You can dip other metals for very short periods of time, but it's not good for stones and it has to be rinsed immediately after dipping. Also not something I would suggest for repeated application or plated metals.
Just change your attitude!
by: Mara Nesbitt

Not everyone wants their silver to be shiny. That's why Liver of Sulphur is used by many jewelry makers and silver smiths. I've even seen silver being sold in a dead black color.

I just finished a metal smithing class and my teacher taught us never to use the word "tarnish". She said the correct word is "patina" and it can be a very desirable thing.

Patinating something brings out the detail in it, if it has a pattern that is. Ear wires? Not so much, so I do have a silver polishing cloth. But I've started looking at the darkening of silver (and copper and brass) in a whole new way since I took the class.

Learn to love the patina :) Hey, it's vintage-y.
Tarnished findings
by: Melanie

Melanie, I also had about 10 pounds of sterling silver findings and bali beads and chain charms you name it and it was exposed to the elements for over a year. I purchased a Lorton Tumbler and believe me when you have to clean 20 gross of 2mm silver beads it is very hard to not go crazy. The tumbler did the job in like 1/2 hour and this was just using steel shot and water and a couple drops of dawn dish soap. Luv It, could not live without it now. Now I am careful about no exposure, keep in zip lock bags and also in a plastic storage container, and now that it is under control I can throw in my finished pieces for a few minutes after i design and all is beautiful. PS I am now doing metal forging with some silver but mostly brass, copper and aluminum and again the tumbler is what makes everything look so professional.
Dish Soap
by: Rita Juhlin

I was advised by a lapiday specialist that if you use more than a couple drops of dish soap your tumbler container can explode.

I never experienced an explosion but it's another reason I switched to the low suds lapidary burnishing soap. Dish soap supposedly can harm the tumbler container although it didn't seem to bother mine. I will say though, the burnishing soap was a whole lot better at giving all the metals a totally perfect shine that seem to hold on for a longer time.

My Harbor Freight tumber is going strong for 6 years now at 1/3rd the price. The motor has more power too.
Tumblers?
by: Debby Gwaltney

I've been reading all the posts on tumblers. I've never used one to clean my jewelry, so I have a question.

Wouldn't it be damaging to tumble delicate things like earrings, finished bracelets, necklaces and fine chains? Couldn't the metal components in such delicate jewelry get bent or kinked? What about delicate stones or glass beads? I make most of my jewelry with my own glass glass beads, which are mostly hollow. Would I have to take everything apart to tumble the silver?

For cleaning jewelry, I have been using the silver jewelry cleaner that Walmart sells in their jewelry department. That works very well, but someone told me that it could be damaging to silver in the long run. Is that true?
Tumbler ?
by: Deb Mae

To Debby, I tumble spiral sterling ear wires that are very delicate 20 & 21 gauge sterling wire that is twisted like a cork screw to put in your ears and no damage only awesome shine and with that thin of guage wire it does work harden if I leave them in a hour or more. I have put swarovski AB and triple AB crystals in and no damage and also many stones and pearls. The pearls actually almost have an opalescent shine when they come out. I never put anything in that cannot withstand water such as real turquoise or opal. The benefit of the tumbler is the shapes of the stainless steel shot, the tumbler actaully has a rolling action much like waves rolling over and over so there is not a slam or bump effect to the jewelry. The different shapes of the shot does many things it for one will work out small fine scratch marks, some of the shapes will fit in small area's to buff them clean. I have to say if I never made another piece of jewelry I would still use my tumbler if just to clean my jewelry. I got very concerned using the jewelry cleaners out there and then when I saw the difference from a tumbler & I decided I never want to smell those chemicals again. I took a metal forging class and we just made a pair of copper forged earrings, when we were done we put the into a tumbler and it took them to an ocassional craft look to a pricey artist look
Good Luck
An End to Tarnihed Sterling Earwires
by: Patricia C Vener

Argentium. Argentium sterling silver is made with germanium as the non-silver alloy. It not only reduces scale but inhibits tarnishing. An interesting side note - germanium is slightly antibacterial I believe.

I wrote a short article about this on my blog last year. It's here if you want to read it:
http://vener-art.com/beadblog/index.php/updates-on-silver/

:)

Stone Hardness
by: Millie.GotRocks

As a guide you can refer to “The Mohs Mineral Hardness Scale” to help you decide what not to tumble. There is tons of information about this on the Internet. I’ve spent many hours tumbling rocks and the hardness scale has helped guide me through the early years of tumbling.

Today, many of the stones jewelry artist buy are stabilized and dyed so tumble at your own risk. If you can, a good idea might be to sacrifice a bead, tumble it for a hands on test. I can tell you that many of the synthetic stones don’t tumble well, and I ruined a nice piece of natural malachite.

You will probably find different opinions about using a tumbler. If you use dish soap make sure it doesn’t have any bleaching agents in it. Some instructions will tell you to put just enough water in the tumbler container to just cover the shot; that’s fine for metals but keep in mind the more water you put in the container the less “action” from the shot you will get. When tumbling stones if you aren’t sure how much action the stone can take put more water in the containerabout an inch under the lid IF you use a low suds soap.

If you tumble fine gold jewelry be careful. A piece of 24K gold with a pattern on it can be tumbled so the pattern will disappear because gold is so soft. Gold filled is much different, you can tumble that for a long time without losing a pattern. I’ve also read to tumble for several hours, I don’t do that either; usually a couple hours is plenty.

Overstocked with Rocks
GotRocks4Sale.com
Earring cards my be the problem
by: Joyusdesigns

Hello Veronica,
I can see you are using black velvet earring cards. I found some velvet trays really made the tarnish so bad. I am not sure why but maybe glues or something in the fabric. I have some cards I have made myself with heavy weight card from my local stampit shop where they discontinue and sell of card for cheap, and put into a bag and they have stayed lovely and shiny for over 6 months. I have cut the card and folded it to make it stand up or hang over a string in my display in a picture frame. If you are interested I can take photos and send them to you. joyusdesigns@bigpond.com
God Bless Tracey
Tumblers
by: Paula

What type of tumblers are you folks using?
Thanks
tumbler type
by: Calys Jewelry

I use a lortone double barrel from Jayatua
http://www.jatayu.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=J&Product_Code=TPO-0601 .
I've heard the Harbor Freight ones are hit and miss, some folks have no trouble with them, others have lots of trouble.

Great tip about the silicon stoppers...I'll be looking for those next time...!

I use an organizer with drawer with strips of non tarnish paper. I used to worry a lot of tarnish and cleaning prior to usage. I try to keep things in the bags they come in, but if I can't I just clean the findings before I use them.....I don't have time to worry so much..lol.
silicon stoppers..?
by: Calys Jewelry

Ok...so I've done a search for the silicon earrings stoppers. I seem to only find the rubber ones. I would love to not have to clean them every 2 months where the stopper is.
Anyone know where I could find them..?

Thanks..!
Earring stoppers
by: Deb Mae

I use the clear ones, and have no problem but I am not sure if they are rubber or silcone. Most bead shops have both.
Tumbler article
by: Deb Mae

It was mentioned about tumblers previous and although there is talk of the Harbor Freight tumbler which actually can be purchased for like $25.00 sometimes there is a reason you should purchase a better tumbler. I looked at the Harbor freight one the other day and the barrell is very poor, it is pourous and did not make me feel secure, was going to purchase a second tumbler just so I had two for convenience. Anyway here is a fantastic article that gives very good advice on tumblers and problems you might have when tumbling. After reading 100's of post about tumbling and how many people have had problems with Harbor Freight tumbler this article helped me understand what can go wrong and why.
www.cooltools.us/v/vspfiles/images/tumblercontamination.pdf
Enjoy the 4th of July everyone.
Deb Mae, Michigan
Re: Earring stops
by: Deb Mae

Here is a site that carries earring stops that are the ones that will not promote tarnish as they are "4 mm SMALL RUBBER FISH HOOK STOPPER
NOW PHTHALATE FREE "
Phthalate was an acid base that help keep the plastic soft, but now has been taken out of some things as I understand.
You can find these at
http://www.monsterslayer.com/Pages/LeatherRubber/LeatherRubberFindings.aspx

Deb Mae
Tumbler article
by: Paula Galle

Deb, thanks for the tumbler article. I'm researching buying my first tumbler and it was very informative. If anyone has anything to add I'm all ears......
monsterslayer
by: Calys Jewelry

Thank you Deb..! I also found something on that page I've been looking for...lol..!

Dawn
Rock Tumbler
by: Deb Mae

Hi, embarrassed to say but I actually have a Thumblers Rock Tumbler, it is 3lb one. I had read so much about Lortone recently cause I was trying to find the best price for a replacement drum for a friend I guess it was just on my mind but I think that the Thumblers is a little better model than Lortone, just seems more durable and stable. I could only afford the baby but I did get it a great price online at Hayneedle.com her is the link to the page.
http://www.rocktumblers.com/rock-tumblers/rotary-rock-tumblers/thumlersrotaryrocktumbler3lb.cfm
So sorry ;{
Deb
Cleaning Tarnish
by: Deb Mae

When you don't have a tumbler and you have stock that needs to be cleaned.... Sometimes when you use professional silver cleaner it will whiten the sterling and it looks nasty, you can get the shine back if you put in a tumbler though so don't think it is ruined, I did 6 gross of sterling silver 2 mm beads and thought I would have to sell for scrap silver then I when i got my tumbler I threw them in and they came out better than when I purchased.
Anyway there is a way to clean and it is cheap and non chemical. Get Dawn Foam Soap (Blue one) and Baking powder. Put the piece in the palm of your hand, give a pump of Dawn foam and then sprinkle baking powder over that, Gently rub your hands together and then rinse under hot water, ( I do this over a kitchen screen strainer) Immeidately dry with a soft cloth ( I also use a blow dryer lightly to make sure the water is totally gone) WooHoo, very clean and Sparkle pieces. Really good for earrings, I do this to copper, silver, brass and all works well and it is Go Green.
Tarnish
by: Paula Galle

Thanks again! I wish you lived next door!!!
Tumblers
by: Rita Juhlin

You know it's interesting about opinions on tumblers, I have both Harbor Freight and the much more expensive Lortone.

The Harbor Freight tumbler has been going strong for almost 7 years, I used the Lortone once and put it in the closet because it doesn't have the power. The barrel is perfect, no wear but I did replace the belt and that was included with the tumbler when I bought it.

I guess I'd rather buy 4 Harbor Freight tumblers for the price of one Lortone after 7 years of tumbling jewelry.

Anybody need a Lortone, LOL, free shipping! $100.00, LOL.
for Paula Galle
by: Deb Mae

Today the Rock tumbler is another 10% off using code YF-9659
List price 139.99 their price 84.88 plus an additional 10% off, pretty good deal.
Tumbling finished items
by: Lynn

For the person who asked about tumbling finished items...

Make sure when you are tumbling that you stick to items that are the same weight/composition. You don't want to tumble delicate earrings with a big hunking chainmaille bracelet.

Most stones (see the previous comment about Mohs scale) will do fine in a tumbler. I wouldn't do pearls or anything with a scale hardness of less than 4 for longer than 30 minutes or so, but harder stones and metal only can go in the tumbler for hours with no damage.
Burnishing Compound
by: Deb Mae

Just when I thought my tumbled jewelry could not get better....... After reading so much on this post I finally decided to purchase the burnishing compound to add to the tumbler, OMG it is amazing the improved level of shine and polish. I am unemployed in Michigan, so I thought I was doing good by not getting the compound but after all these posts I thought I would try it, FANTASTIC, that all I can say it is wonderful.
Thank you everyone for putting up with me, this has been fun;}

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