Sterling silver goes well with many beautiful colored gemstones: garnets, amethysts, onyx, and turquoise, to name a few. The metal itself is beautiful as a simple chain necklace, bracelet or even hoops. Silver jewelry compliments clothing of many styles and colors. It looks especially good with black because the brightness of the silver contrasts with the darkness of the black. Silver also looks good with bright and dark shades of color like red, royal and navy blue, emerald and forest green and medium to deeper shades of purple.

No matter what silver is worn with, it always looks its best when it is clean and shiny. What causes silver to look dull and aged is if the metal is dirty, and the process of oxidation. Oxidation is just the exposure to air. Harsh cleaning products such as bleach and chlorine are also very damaging to sterling silver. You can clean silver with a silver polish but that often gets stuck in intricate designs and be difficult to remove. Silver polish also wears away at the surface of the metal, as does a polishing cloth.

Care Tips for Your Silver:

* Remove your jewelry before cleaning with harsh cleaning products.
* Store jewelry when not worn in sealable plastic bags. This will help slow the oxidation process.
* No-tarnish strips can be put in the plastic bags and this will further slow the oxidation process. These strips can be purchased at a jewelry supply company, or possibly a fine jewelry store. It is best to periodically replace these strips.
* Basic kid blackboard chalk works similarly to the no-tarnish strips and may be easier to purchase. They work by absorbing any airborne impurities that may tarnish the silver. Place them in the plastic sealable bag and replace them monthly for best results. With a little extra care, your special piece of jewelry can look bright, brilliant and shiny for many years of wear.