Tarnish on jewelry inventory is every jewelry seller’s nightmare. It decreases sale and won’t look pleasing to the eye of any prospective buyer. Aside from that, it affects your whole inventory and may largely affect your business image.
As a jewelry reseller or retailer, it is important to understand all the things that may affect your sales and overall business. Such as when dealing with tarnish, it is essential to have knowledge on what causes tarnishing, how you can prevent it and what will you do with your tarnished jewelry. It is also necessary to devise a way to keep your jewelry inventory shiny and always in the best condition.
What is tarnish and what causes it?
The degree and the speed of tarnishing on jewelry products can vary on the environment and the basic materials present in the jewelry. Unfortunately, affordable accessories such as sterling silver jewelry may accumulate tarnish faster than high quality metals such as gold or platinum. While it cannot be totally avoided, you can prevent it by doing things that can keep jewelry clean and shiny.
Tarnish is the result of the chemical reaction between the metal in the jewelry and the sulfur in environment. That is why a jewelry that is left out in the open can accumulate tarnishes faster than those that are kept in acid free, closed container. High temperature and high humidity are also known to speed up the discoloration of jewelry pieces. Store your wholesale jewelry collection in cool dry place away from direct sunlight to protect your jewelry inventory.
How to prevent tarnishing?
Keeping your jewelry clean is one of the best ways to maintain their beauty and luster. Take time to do a quick wipe down after a jewelry show or party. This will remove any dirt or grime that has settled on the surface of the jewelry and will help tarnish from forming. Use a specific solution made for cleaning jewelry and apply it in clean sunshine cloth then gently do a wipe down on your inventory.
You can also further protect your inventory by getting high quality display cases that is made from acid free materials. Avoid storing jewelry in acidic materials, including some types of wood, most cardboard, and paper. Some plastic boxes may contain chemicals that can seriously corrode metal, silver backings and gemstones so you have to consider this before using plastic storage for your jewelry.
What to do with tarnished jewelry?
Always inspect your wholesale jewelry pieces for early signs of tarnishing so you can prevent the widespread discoloration of your inventory. If you noticed that tarnish is starting to form, take it off your display and do a proper cleaning. You can also soak your jewelry in warm water, mixed with salt and baking soda to remove any discoloration and tarnishes.
Keeping your jewelry tarnish free may be a lot of hassle but is surely worth your every effort. This way you can make sure that you only give the best to your customers and show to them that their satisfaction is always your priority.
