1) Every Day Wear: high polish finish, plain silver, no stone (ring).
2) Frequent Wear: high polish finish, hard wearing stone i.e. Diamond, Blue Topaz, Solid setting (ring).
3) Occasional Wear: sandblast or satin finish, claw setting (ring), softer stone i.e. Turquoise, Moonstone, stones all the way around (ring).
4) Special Occasion Wear: fine wire pieces, beads, stones with no protective setting i.e. Amber, notably delicate pieces.

Contributing factors to the discolouration of Silver
Silver reacts and tarnishes through contact with chemicals such as sulphur and hydrogen sulphide.

These chemicals can be found in: perfume, hairspray, deodorant, detergents, cleaning fluids, hair treatment, hand cream, soaps, chlorine, eggs, salt, sweat, make-up, rubber bands and even some medication. Car fumes and other types of pollution may increase the tarnishing of silver.

Food such as onions and garlic contain high levels of sulphur and consequently people who eat a lot of onions and garlic may find that their jewellery tarnishes more quickly.

Care of Sterling Silver Jewellery
- Sterling silver is a soft metal and therefore prone to a certain amount of wear and tear depending on the amount of care taken to look after the piece after purchase.
- Sterling silver will tarnish with time and wear. To clean silver jewellery use a high quality silver cloth (do not use a silver dip).
- Jewellery with a sandblast or satin finish however should not be cleaned with a silver cloth. Tarnish can be removed using a standard pencil eraser or warm soapy water and a soft brush.
- Sandblast, satin and gold plated finished are recommended for occasional wear only, this will avoid unnecessary abrasion.
- To avoid scratching, individual pieces should be stored separately.
- To bring back sparkle to facetted gemstones use warm soapy water (washing up liquid can be used) and a soft toothbrush. Do not immerse the jewellery in the water; instead soak the toothbrush in the water and rinse this to clean the stones, remembering to clean the back of the stones. Rinse the jewellery with clean water and dry with a soft lint-free cloth. Avoid contact with any of the substances mentioned above.
- To maintain the condition of your jewellery, you are advised to remove any item before bathing, swimming and when undertaking manual work; a hard blow can chip stones, even diamonds. Jewellery can be wrapped in a soft cloth and stored in a dry place when not being worn.