A collection of treasured rings can quickly show signs of rust or tarnish if stored haphazardly together. Rust appears when the ring metal reacts to oxygen or sulphur and other airborne chemicals. Besides rust, silver rings can tarnish too, often as a result of contact with body oils or water. A rusted ring loses its shine and value. Protect your rings and keep them looking nice with regular cleaning and proper storage procedures.

Spread your rings out on a flat surface. Separate the rings by metal type. You may have silver, gold or metal rings in your collection.

Clean the rings before storing them. For silver rings, use a polishing cloth to remove tarnish. Shine up gold rings with a clean, lint-free cloth. Wipe dust off metal rings then set them aside.

Store the rings individually in zippered plastic bags. Small jewelry bags work well for this. Place all the silver rings together in one jewelry box. Put all the gold rings in one box together.

Add a no-tarnish strip or small piece of chalk to the jewelry box. The chalk and strips keep tarnish at bay but they need to be replaced every two to three months.

Dab clear nail polish on the inside of your metal rings. Set the polished rings on a clean tray to dry. Once they dry, place them inside zippered bags and store them separately.