The majority of people assume that the darkening of a piece of silver jewellery is a sign of poor quality or even a sign of fake rather than real metal. But in fact, the darkening of silver is a natural phenomenon due to its chemical properties.
The plaque formation process is promoted by the fact that the sulphur compounds in the air react with the silver to form a dark layer on the surface of any kind of jewellery.
Even silver jewellery that is worn infrequently but stored with other items is subjected to this process. The faster this process occurs, the more sulphur compounds are in the air.
Other factors that can affect the appearance of the jewellery are water and cosmetics.
