Pure silver must generally be polished and cleaned on a regular basis to keep it from becoming tarnished. It should not be placed in areas where it will be exposed to large amounts of oxygen and should be taken care of in special silver storage containers. Oxidized sterling silver jewelry will not be affected by the tarnish and the tarnish will allow the oxidized sterling silver jewelry to take on a more oxidized work.
Oxidized sterling silver jewelry does not have to be polished or cleaned and can be left in any type of environment.
Silver sulfide can be removed from oxidized sterling silver jewelry easily, giving the metal back its shine. Abrasive polishes remove silver-sulfide buildup, restoring luster; some dissolve the substance, but also strip away some of the precious metal. Other polishes reverse the original chemical reaction, turning the silver sulfide back into normal, shiny silver.