Another useful tip

(For Saija, since she enjoyed the last one. :))

Did you know that you can clean sterling silver with plain, white toothpaste? I learned this tip from the woman who makes a lot of my jewelry (her name is Kat, coincidentally).

Don't bother with any of that tartar control, whitening, or any of the other fancy stuff -- just get some plain old, white toothpaste. Use a soft toothbrush to rub it into your silver (add a little bit of water to make it easier to rub in), rinse with plain water, and ta da! The tarnish is gone! You can also take some toothpaste and water in the palm of your hand and then take a sterling silver necklace chain and just rub it around in there and then rinse. It really works!