This is the biggest question that you should be asking yourself, especially if you are about to invest your money in a designer watch or any other kind of jewelry.
This is an important consideration also because you don’t want to be that person wearing tarnished jewelry that not only looks fake, cheap, and old; but also irritates or stains your skin.
So, in this article, we’ll take you through everything you need to know about Michael Kors jewelry and whether the jewelry will tarnish or look as good as new for a long while.
To do that, we have to first take a look at the basics of Michael Kors’ jewelry and what the jewelry is made of.
The jewelry metals used in Michael Kors jewelry
Michael Kors jewelry, for instance, their bracelets, come in some of the most appealing jewelry designs, and if you are looking for simple designer jewelry, a bracelet from MK jewelry would be an ideal option for you. This is often the case thanks to the use of good quality but different materials, meaning that there is something for everyone.
Michael Kors bracelets are mainly made of sterling silver, with a bigger number of the jewelry being gold plated or made of other metals. But this does not mean that you will only find gold-plated and sterling silver jewelry; the brand ensures that you get to enjoy great value for your money by offering largely affordable jewelry made of cheaper but durable and even elegant metals like stainless steel.
Most of the fashion jewelry by Michael Kors is made of stainless steel, which is quite durable, looks great, is resistant to tarnish, and is also safe on the skin.
Does Michael Kors Jewelry Tarnish? Why?
Thanks to the use of metals in the jewelry-making world, there is always a risk of jewelry tarnishing, especially when the jewelry is made of some metal types and not others. This means that although Michael Kors endeavors to provide high-quality and tarnish-resistant jewelry, there is the risk of the jewelry still tarnishing.
The good news is that not all of their jewelry will tarnish. Often, the gold-plated jewelry, along with the pieces made of sterling silver, will tarnish. The stainless steel pieces are, however, resistant to tarnishing.
With the gold-plated pieces, the gold-plated layer wears out over time, which happens because the layer of gold is ultrathin, and it will wear out or flake with time. Tarnishing speed is often increased by the fact that the molecules that form the base metals from the jewelry are eventually transferred/ seeps into that thin layer of gold resulting in the breakdown of the layer of gold, which is seen as tarnishing.
Sterling silver jewelry will also tarnish because the silver reacts with sulfide in the air (hydrogen sulfide), forming silver sulfide, which appears as the black specks you see on the jewelry. This is something that will always happen with sterling silver jewelry, and if you are looking for jewelry that will never tarnish, sterling silver jewelry might not be the best option for you. That said, sterling silver jewelry remains a popular choice in the affordable fine jewelry category because even if the pieces tarnish, a quick cleaning or tarnishing session will have them looking as good as new.
So, how do you care for your Michael Kors jewelry, knowing that there is a high risk of the pieces getting tarnished?
Tips for Caring for your Michael Kors Jewelry
While Michael Kors offers a 1-year warranty for its jewelry, as long as you have the proof of purchase for that jewelry, and you can send the jewelry to them for repairs within the warranty period, you still need to take good care of your MK jewelry to ensure that the pieces last, and offer you good value for your money. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that Michael Kors will repair the pieces in case of the use of defective materials for the jewelry, in case of faulty workmanship, or if it becomes faulty after some time. But the warranty coverage doesn’t apply to effects like tarnishing that may have been sped up by improper use like spraying perfume on the jewelry, hence the fast wearing off of the gold plated jewelry, for instance.
Besides faults or damage from improper handling, accidents, inappropriate use, modifications, or negligence, Michael Kors will also void the warranty if you buy the jewelry from unauthorized Michael Kors retailers. This means that you should only buy your Michael Kors jewelry from the Michael Kors official website or their official retail stores.
So, to take great care of your Michael Kors jewelry, you may want to follow these jewelry care instructions:
- Only apply moisturizers, perfumes, and all other forms of cosmetics before you wear jewelry. Essentially, your jewelry should go on last when you are ready to leave the room.
- Don’t sleep in your jewelry. You should take off the jewelry at night always.
- Do not wash, bathe, or shower in jewelry.
- Don’t go swimming with your jewelry. When you do, you risk losing the jewelry, and if you don’t lose them, the salty or chlorinated water will react with the metals used to make the jewelry resulting in a faster rate of tarnish and, in other cases, permanent discoloration
- Keep your jewelry dry as much as possible, and take off your ring or bracelet when doing household chores like washing dishes or cleaning the house, or even gardening.
- Keep your jewelry away from wood or wooden surfaces. This also applies to the chemically treated surfaces because these would either stain the jewelry or increase the rate of tarnishing for the metals.
- Store the jewelry in airtight storage. If you use a Ziploc bag, you’d want to squeeze out all the air before you seal the bag. Alternatively, you could store your jewelry with chalk or silica packs because of these work as great dehumidifiers.
- Don’t leave the jewelry out in direct sunlight.
- Lastly, give your jewelry a break. Though some jewelry pieces are just too comfortable, you should resist the temptation to wear them all day/night.
Conclusion
Michael Kors Jewelry made of sterling silver or gold plated materials will tarnish, and if you are looking for jewelry from this brand, you should know that the jewelry is not immune to tarnishing, just like all other kinds of jewelry made of the same materials – designer or non-designer.
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Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.