Sterling silver will tarnish. That is chemistry, not a fault in the jewellery. In Sri Lanka the process is a little faster than it is in a dry, cool climate, because tarnish needs moisture and sulphur in the air, and we have plenty of both. The good news is that tarnish on solid 925 silver is a surface film. It polishes off. It is not the metal rotting, and it is not the plating on a cheap base-metal piece peeling away — because there is no base metal underneath.
This is how we tell customers to look after Enrayge jewellery in Colombo weather, at the beach, and in a wardrobe that also holds perfume and hairspray.
What sterling silver actually is
925 means 92.5 percent silver, 7.5 percent other metals (usually copper) so the piece is hard enough to wear. Pure silver is too soft for a claw that has to hold a gem. All of our jewellery is solid 925, never silver-plated brass or copper. When solid silver darkens, you are looking at silver sulphide on the surface. When plated jewellery “tarnishes”, you are often looking at the plating wearing through.
We give a lifetime warranty on the silver and a two-year warranty covering replating and repairs. If a claw opens or a hinge tires, bring it back.
Habits that keep it bright
- Put jewellery on last, after perfume, lotion, sunscreen and hairspray. Alcohol and oils speed tarnish and leave a film on gemstones.
- Take it off before swimming — sea, pool or a bath. Chlorine and salt are hard on both silver and on the solder at joints.
- Do not sleep in fine chains. That is how they knot and how a pearl or a halo gets crushed against the mattress.
- Wipe the piece with a soft cloth after you wear it, then put it in the pouch it arrived in. Separate pouches stop a sapphire scratching a moonstone.
- Leave silica gel in the drawer if you have it. Dry is the enemy of tarnish.
How to clean it at home
Warm water, a drop of mild washing-up liquid, a soft toothbrush around the setting, then a thorough dry. That is enough for almost everything we make. A dedicated silver polishing cloth (not a kitchen abrasive, not toothpaste) will lift tarnish from plain silver surfaces. Do not polish the stone; polish the metal.
Skip bleach, baking-soda pastes on gem-set pieces, and ultrasonic machines unless we have told you the stone can take it. Emerald, pearl, moonstone and any gem with a fracture filling should never go in an ultrasonic. Sapphire, spinel, garnet and topaz are generally happier, but the setting still needs to be tight. If you are unsure, bring it to the workshop and we will clean it.
The monsoon, the beach, and air conditioning
Humidity is the main local factor. A closed, air-conditioned room is kinder to silver than an open window in May. After a beach day, rinse the piece in fresh water before you put it away — salt left in a claw is what etches a pit months later.
A light yellowing after a few weeks of daily wear in Colombo is normal. It is not a reason to send a piece back. It is a reason to wipe it. If the silver has gone nearly black, a cloth will still bring it back; if a gem is loose or a plate has worn on a yellow-gold finish, that is a warranty conversation and we want to see it.
When to message us
A bent pin, a stone that spins, a clasp that no longer bites, or plating that has worn through within two years — WhatsApp +94 76 265 6692 or use the contact page. For the wider list of questions, see the FAQ. The silver is meant to be worn, including in this climate. The pouch and the cloth are how you keep it looking like it did on the day it left Piliyandala.