The thing nobody tells you about sterling silver is that it tarnishes, properly tarnishes, and if you buy one because it looked bright and shiny in good light online, then leave it in a dish by the sink for three months, you'll find it gone a bit grey and sulky when you finally dig it out. That caught me out with the first one I bought, a plain band I assumed would look after itself. It didn't ruin it. It just meant a slightly annoying five minutes with a polishing cloth before I could wear it again. Worth knowing before you buy, not after.
It's not the right choice if you want something you never think about. Gold toned pieces are more forgiving, they don't react the same way to air and moisture and the stuff in your hand cream, so if you want to chuck jewellery in a bag and have it survive neglect, silver will test your patience eventually. It's also not brilliant if you swim in it a lot or sit in a sauna wearing it, chlorine and heat speed the tarnishing along nicely. For everything else, daily wear, showering occasionally forgotten about, sleeping in it, it holds up fine.
Over months it softens rather than scratches, which I like. A cuff I've had two years has gone slightly matte in a nice way, like it's settled into being worn rather than looked new and self conscious. Little surface marks appear and mostly rub away with a cloth, the kind you can buy for a few pounds, keep in a drawer and forget exists until you need it. I give mine a once over every few weeks, no ceremony, just telly on and a cloth.
Plain polished silver is the easiest to live with day to day, it goes with everything from a jumper and jeans to a slip dress, and it doesn't argue with gold jewellery the way people worry it will, mixing metals is fine, nobody's checking. Oxidised or darker finishes hide marks better if you're lazy about maintenance, which I say with love because I am. Avoid anything with a very high shine finish unless you enjoy the five minute cloth ritual, because that's the one that shows every fingerprint.
Before buying, I'd ask myself whether I actually like the look of it settling and changing a bit, or whether I want something that stays exactly as bought. Those are different purchases, and it's worth knowing which one you're making.
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