Tarnish is what makes our rings turn dark. Depending on the quality of the silver and the other metals alloyed in with them all come in to play..

Found some things I haven't seen in years... First what is left of my ground dug collection... Weird on how some are in pretty good condition and some in relic condition. These found in the early to mid 1990s... I'd say the amount of sulfur, types of soil and other chemicals on them all come in to play also..

I've never seen anything enamel come up even in good condition. Always missing a piece, cracked etc. Here a nice wartime Soviet Guards badge...

,,Here's a necklace I used to wear in the 1970s... Enamel 'Surfer' cross, a zinc skull that had a cheap silver wash,,,and a Sterling lightning bolt... This was with some other pieces that were tarnished etc ,,,but the lightning bolt looks like I just put it away!!

Also from a friend digger in Warsaw.. 4 POW tags.. 3 zinc alloys,,one Aluminum,,you'd expect the AL to be in the worst condition,,,but its not!

,, last,, the frame of a EKII. Always heard these were solid silver bt really don't know much about them.. This is how it came from the ground,,no iron core, bent up a little. But really doesn't appear to be good silver,,maybe a silver plate[?]

and,,, a Luftwaffe Flyers ring [yellow]. Made in 835 silver.. I burnished a small area inside the band and put in with some heavy tarnished silverware and bits is silver jewelry... It's been 3 years and really very very little change!


So where does that leave us ring collectors? I've had members suggest to clean and polish rings and add anti tarnish packs or cloth to the cases.. Myself,,I usually give my rings a light wipe down, or if dug a brushing and in to the case the go. I have a few full cases. One I do have a anti tarnish cloth over the rings. But really, they all fair about the same..

- * Anyone have anything to report? Noticing your rings turning darker? Doing any preventative measures to protect them? Do you just do a wipe down and into the case?

Some info o tarnish and silver:

"What is Silver Tarnishing and What Causes It?
Tarnishing, also called toning, is an effect on the outermost layer of a metal that causes the metal to become discolored. Like iron rusts when exposed to oxygen, silver can tarnish when exposed to the air due to a reaction between silver and hydrogen sulfide in the air. Also, touching silver products with your hands may cause tarnishing over time due to the oils from your skin.

Some products tarnish quicker than others. For example, because of the finish on the American Silver Eagles [coins], they tend to tarnish slower than traditional bullion coins. On the other hand, the Somalian Elephant coins tend to tarnish quicker due to their storage tubes being made of PVC as opposed to the traditional plastic tubes that most other coins come in. The PVC traps moisture and releases slightly acidic gases which can contribute to the toning/tarnishing of coins / silver."

Here's some more info specifically dealing with Silver:

Be Aware Of What You’re Touching Your Silver Items With
Newspaper, latex, rubbers, bleach, plastic bags, cardboards; these all material can accelerate the tarnishing process. So, never store your silver in direct contact with newspapers, cardboard, and plastic bags.

More:
Bad reactions with silver
Here’s a list of things that silver has a bad reaction with: wool, rubber bands, latex gloves, oils from your hands and fingers, ammonia, chlorinated water, carpet padding, air pollution, perfumes, hair sprays, and believe it or not, some foods can even make silver tarnish. Foods like: onions, mayonnaise, salad dressing, eggs and salty foods (put down those chips).

In fact, just the humidity alone can cause silver to corrode.

I don’t understand why they should be polished, patina (oxidation of silver) is a trace of time, then polished (so that they shine like a cat’s eggs) and make them like new, what’s the point?
the Germans used rather low-quality silver everywhere, which is why it tarnishes quickly, there are a lot of impurities
besides polishing, just gradually erase the ornament

Great information, thanks, Gaspare.

Rule of thumb.
Take care of silver, never clean. That goes for coins, and IMO, Daggers and medals.
Like Evgenly said, it's part of the history and value of the item.
Thanks for the lesson Gas.
Ed

I remember years ago when guys were buying repro HRs to wear and were asking Don how to age /change color them... He would say to drop the ring in bleach for a day then a rinse and they would look dark / aged.... Never tried it myself..


- * Evgeniy,,,, Do you ever get a order for a HR and they want it aged? What do you use to age or change the color?

Gaspare, thanks for posting!

Most jewelry supply shops sell Liver of Sulphur. It will quickly tarnish anything made of silver. It can be diluted to produce a rainbow of colors or shades from gray to black.

I just blacken the rings and that’s it, but the blackening doesn’t stay 100%, some of it comes off the ring in the process of wearing it, using soap and other cleaning agents that we use every day while washing our hands and going to the shower. No substance holds 100% if the product is used constantly.

had a email - 'how to I keep my rings from tarnishing?'

Found a good link here:

https://forum.germandaggers.com/ubb...ords=cleaning&Search=true#Post344157

This is a link to a Silver forum.. They really get into the' Does Silver Corrode'? question..

A good discussion if anyone interested in 'Silver',,'can it corrode',,'tarnish' ,, cleaning,,etc.:

https://www.smpub.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/002135.html