Caring for plated items
Silver and gold plated items have a coating of silver or gold over a base of a different metal, often base metal but can be other metals. This means eventually you can wear through the coating. How long this takes just depends on the care you take of the piece, the person wearing it, etc. For example, wearing the jewelry over fabric not touching skin can help prolong the life of the piece as our skin and the oils of the skin can eat at the coating over time. Some people have acidic enough skin that they can not wear plated pieces as it wears right off for them. Avoid polishing plated pieces more than necessary as some polishing methods actually remove a small layer each time you polish. Tumbling should be avoided as it can also remove a small layer of metal over time.
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