Crystals and Jewelry Q & A

Preventing Tarnish on Brass Jewelry

QUESTION: "I bought a brass ring on the weekend and the guy told me to put clear nailpolish inside the ring to prevent it from tarnishing while I wear it. Well I did that but the nailpolish came off and turned my finger black. So my question is, is there anything that I can put inside the ring to prevent it from tarnishing and turing my finger green and black?"

MY ANSWER: "Nail polish is what most people would use, you just have to have a good coat of it on the edges as well as the back to keep the brass from turning you funky colors. Another option is a coat of polyurethane, which you can find in the paint department of Walmart. The whole point is to use something that will keep ANY of the brass from touching your skin, on the back of the ring, edges, and possibly the outside if it comes in contact with other fingers too. Just be sure to clean and polish the brass before you coat it with anything, because once it's coated, it's going to look that way for good unless the coating comes off." June 25, 2004

This tip is also relevant to copper jewelry!

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