925 Sterling Silver is awesome, its beautiful and it's strong*, but its not indestructible. So take care of it.*Compared to fine silver, which isn't designed for everyday wear.925 Sterling Silver (and all precious metals) can and will snap if continuous movement or pressure is applied - bending/twisting etcAvoid wearing thinner/daintier pieces or anything with stones whilst doing labour intensive activities - you know.. gardening, sport, working with chemicals, housework etc. You can end up damaging your jewellery or yourself.Again, Silver is awesome, its beautiful and it OXIDISES (blackens) which I LOVE! In fact, most of my pieces are deliberately oxidised to enhance all the tiny little details hidden throughout the piece. Black AND Shiny - droooollll...tarnish is not fun though.. tarnish is when a piece becomes a bit dull and lifeless, even yellowy?.. we want to keep our pieces as shiny as possible :)That's why all my orders now come with its very own silver (or gold) polishing cloth. Use it regularly by rubbing the surface (metal only) to restore shine.You can also do the old bicarb trick - google it :)Please - NEVER - use a silver dip or harsh chemicals or abrasive cloths/brushes. Your piece will end up damaged.These things happen though.. get in touch and I can restore it to its original state, free of charge.. you just simply cover the postage/shipping both ways.When you aren't wearing your pieces its best to store them out of sunlight, preferably in a protective container or pouch.