Can clear nail polish be used to protect sterling silver jewelry from tarnish?

Actually this is the first time I have ever heard of using a clear coat of nail polish as a protective shield for sterling silver jewelry. Although you deserve ten points for creativity, I wouldn't exactly recommend doing it. Sterling silver jewelry is valuable and dear, and you should always treat it as such. Do not carry out your experiments on your precious jewelry items because it's just not worth it, especially because there are so many easy solutions for removing tarnish in a safe way. My best friend once told me about her method of cleaning sterling silver jewelry, and ever since then I have been a huge fan of this technique. As a matter of fact, whenever I notice tarnish starting to appear on my silver jewelry, I use her method straight away. It is such a simple way of cleaning your silver and all it requires from you is a tin foil, baking soda, salt, hot water and 5 minutes from your time. The first step is lining the bottom of a glass baking dish with a sheet of tin foil. Then pour some hot boiled water inside your glass dish and add 2 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of salt. Then all you need to do is insert the silver jewelry items into the solution and you will be able to see with your own eyes how the tarnish removes itself from your jewelry. As soon as they appear clean remove the jewelry items from the glass dish and thoroughly rinse it to remove the solution.

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Nail polish is just a temporary, and often not very effective, tarnish and corrosion preventer. Nail polish can quickly rub off, not to mention that certain brands of nail polish (those containing sulfuric components) can even worsen the damage done to your sterling silver jewelry. Instead, I would f recommend you get your sterling silver jewelry plated (add a protective coat of rhodium or white gold to your jewelry). Also, by storing and cleaning your sterling silver jewelry in the proper manner, you can avoid the precious metal tarnishing. Store your sterling silver jewelry separately from other pieces of jewelry, in zip-lock bags or cotton pouches. Do not keep your sterling silver jewelry in wooden boxes or on wooden surfaces, since wood contains natural acids which corrode silver. When cleaning your sterling silver jewelry, make sure to use soft cloth or soft bristled brushes and mild detergents or silver cleaning products. Avoid using rough cloths or paper when polishing your sterling silver jewelry, since rough fibers can scratch the malleable material.

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