People may think of silver as strong, but it bruises easily, gets dirty and reacts with the air. The features that make it so attractive, its softness and lustre, are also its weaknesses.
Silver blackens in the air. It reacts and combines with different substances in our environment to form compounds called 'tarnish'.
Industrial air pollution and fumes from vehicles are major contributors. However, materials closer to home can also be hazardous; wood, wool, leather, textiles, rubber bands, newspaper, adhesives and even vegetables and egg all emit sulphurous and acidic gases. This is why egg spoons and salt cellars are often gilded. Research has also proved that baize, for many years the standard lining for cutlery drawers, actually releases sulphur - accelerating tarnish. People can also harm silver. Handling it with bare hands deposits potentially damaging salts and oils which in time eat into, or 'etch', the surface.
Silver, like most metals, tarnishes faster when it is damp. Every time silver is cleaned a small part of the metal is removed. In time, the surface wears away and details such as engraving and hallmarks may be lost. If the object is plated, the thin silver surface disappears exposing the metal beneath.
