Those working with sterling silver have tried various methods to combat tarnishing effects, including several surface treatment methods. Many processes based on lacquers are widely in use—but lacquers don’t adhere well to silver, and the lacquer layers are usually visible.

Kalevala Koru, the largest jewelry manufacturer in Finland, has finally found a satisfactory solution in nSILVER, is a coating method developed by Beneq, also of Finland.

nSILVER is based on surface controlled reactions of certain chemicals in vapor phase, which to react with silver surface of any shape and in any direction. Vapor molecules are very small and able to penetrate even the narrowest grooves leaving no pin-holes on the surface. Since the vapors react only with the surface and not with each other, the coating is uniform. Moreover, the thin film is completely transparent and does not change the original finish and appearance of the silver object.

“Our target was to have an ultimate anti-tarnishing solution for our surface finishing without changing the appearance of the jewelry. We were looking for an industrially proven system which could be easily integrated into our existing production and logistics. said Ms. Marja Usvasalo, Managing Director of Kalevala Koru. “Streamlined production flow in surface finishing and 100% quality has been the main outcome of this project for us.”

“Also, this novel technique has allowed us to reduce the use of environmentally harmful chemicals in our surface finishing and get rid of outdated techniques and equipment. Our sales agents all around the world have been extremely happy to receive our nSILVER treated jewelry since there is basically no tarnishing effect anymore,” she explained.