GuidesSilver care

How to care for 925 silver and why it darkens

If your silver ring or earrings look darker than the day they arrived, the silver is not fake: it is how silver normally reacts with the air. This guide covers why it happens, how to bring the shine back without scratching it and how to store it so it takes longer to happen again.

Updated on September 26, 2026

The short answer: 925 silver darkens because it reacts with sulfur in the air, and faster with sweat, perfume and chlorine. Clean it with a silver cloth, or with warm water and mild soap, dry it well and store it in a closed bag. It is not a defect and it does not harm the piece.

1. What 925 silver is

Pure silver is too soft for jewelry you wear every day. So 925 silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper, which make it harder. It is the silver we cast the Hinge Ring and the Spiral Earrings in.

2. Why it darkens

Silver reacts with the sulfur compounds in the air and forms a very thin layer of silver sulfide, which looks yellow at first, then brown and finally black. It happens faster with humidity, sweat, perfume and lotions, and with the chlorine in pools and cleaners. It is not dirt or a sign of poor quality: it happens to all silver. Recesses, like the edge of the bezels, darken first, because skin and clothes do not rub there.

3. How to clean it

  • Day to day, a silver cloth. Rub gently in one direction and the piece gets its shine back. It is the safest option and the first one to try.
  • If it has grease or lotion, warm water with a drop of mild soap and a soft toothbrush for the recesses. Then rinse and dry it completely with a lint-free cloth.
  • If it is very dark, the aluminum foil method: in a container lined with aluminum foil, hot water with a tablespoon of baking soda, and the piece touching the foil for a few minutes. It brings the color back without rubbing; rinse and dry it afterwards. If a piece has intentionally darkened details, this method lightens them too.
  • What not to use: toothpaste and abrasive powders, which scratch silver, and bleach or harsh cleaners.

4. How to store it

  • Dry and apart from other jewelry, so the pieces do not scratch each other.
  • In a small closed bag with little air, or a box with a lid, away from bathroom humidity.
  • A silica gel packet, like the ones in shoe boxes, helps with humidity.

5. While you wear it

  • Put it on after perfume, lotion and makeup, not before.
  • Take it off to shower, swim, work out or clean with chemicals.
  • Wear it often: rubbing against skin and clothes keeps it brighter than long storage does.

The cubic zirconias

The cubic zirconias of the Hinge Ring are bezel set, in a metal ring that closes over the edge of each stone. They withstand water and soap; what is worth avoiding is knocking the ring against hard surfaces.

And the warranty?

The jewelry carries a six month warranty against manufacturing defects, like a bezel that loosens without having been knocked. Darkening is not a defect but the normal reaction of silver, and it comes off as this guide explains. The details are in the terms of sale. And if your Spiral Earrings are in ASA, the printed plastic, they do not darken: wash them with water and soap.

The silver jewelry in the shop: the Hinge Ring, which you build and see in 3D before ordering, and the Spiral Earrings, in 925 silver or ASA.