Should I polish Tiffany Sterling Silver

[sirving2]

I have a beautiful Tiffany necklace and bracelet set from an estate sale. I am planning to list them once I replace the damaged box. They are quite tarnished and the bracelet has alot of small scratches. Usually I sell Native American and vintage jewelry and leave it tarnished since many vintage buyers want it to show its age. Should I polish the set before listing it?

[arlene_v]

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@mforjan wrote:

JMHO, tarnish is not patina, it is damage. I polish all silver I sell. Polishing will allow you to see any damage and reveal marks.

You can use a gentle polish to clean off the tarnish. You do not want to polish it to a high shine like it is new. But like I said, JMHO 

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I agree with you completely, Marie.

Tarnish isn't patina and it's better to know what "lies beneath"  before selling an item.  Just so that there are no surprises for seller and buyer. 

[southernmermaid8]

I agree with Marie ^^^^^^

Do not polish the necklace and bracelet to a high shine by dunking it in some heavy cleaner but do use a sunshine cloth to lightly clean and see if there is any damage under the tarnish . 

The necklace is lovely on you . I also think you might want to keep the set together and have the bracelet sized to fit . Keep the extra links , so you do have options later if you change your mind . 

Mermaid 🐳 

[rixstuff]

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@sirving2 wrote:

Tiffany does not authenticate anything anymore. They will clean their authentic items but I am two hours from the nearest store.  

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No they wnt authenticate but they will confiscate counterfeits.