We offer a range of high quality metals in our collection, all of which are kind to the skin and will not rust or turn your ears green. All Sterling Silver jewellery can naturally tarnish, it's a temporary darkening of the metal which is easy to remove so it's nothing to worry about. We've made our Sterling Silver jewellery more resistant to tarnishing by adding a Rhodium plating as a layer of protection along with an e-coating so that outside factors can't easily tarnish the Silver base metal. For this reason, it makes sense that Gold plated Sterling Silver jewellery is also protected against tarnishing because the base metal is covered with a thick Gold plating and e-coating. The only way Gold plated jewellery will tarnish is if the Gold plating is significantly worn which is why we use a thicker than standard layer. It's important to note that ASTM F136 Titanium, 316L Stainless Steel and 14K Solid Gold will not tarnish. Glossary Tarnishing: a chemical process technically known as oxidisation, where Silver jewellery turns dark as a result of exposure to air or moisture. This appears as darkening on the surface of the silver jewellery. This discolouration can be easily removed with a polishing cloth to restore the bright silver underneath. Fading: a process of wear and tear where the gold plating begins to fade, revealing the Sterling Silver base metal underneath. Green Skin: a chemical process associated with low-quality alloy metals that contain brass or copper. Tarnishing As explained above, tarnishing is a natural process and easily fixed. It can occur with high quality metals such as Sterling Silver when the surface of the metal reacts with moisture, and exposure to chemicals over a prolonged period of time - it's not solely linked to wearing jewellery in water. Tarnished silver often appears dull and may have a dark coating on the surface which can be buffed off with a silver polishing cloth. Green Skin Green skin is a chemical reaction that occurs when a low-quality metal such as brass reacts with the acids present in a person's skin, combined with factors like moisture and air, this causes the metal to oxidise. This results in a greenish residue being left on your skin, especially from earrings that have prolonged contact with the skin. Alloy-based costume jewellery is highly likely to cause green skin and irritation which is why it's important to choose jewellery made from high-quality metals for your piercings as it's likely you'll be wearing them every day - no one wants to remove their flat-backs before showering or sleeping! Unfortunately there's no way to fix the damaged jewellery and often has to be thrown away.