Silver Ring Tarnish & Discoloration: Prevention & Plating

Question
Hi, I don't know if you can help me or not but I bought this really cute ring from Myer its a silver square diamond, but its not proper silver so its starting to tarnish & send my finger green. I haven't even got it wet or anything, I'm really careful with it. I love the ring & I've looked for real silver ones that are similar but there aren't any. Is there any way I could prevent it from deteriorating? Is it possible to get it silver plated? If so how much would that cost approximately?... Thankyou.

Answer
Dear Amy,

Your ring is probably a "pot" (base) metal with an extremely thin electroplating. This plating has likely worn off despite your great care.

Since you love the design you may wish to have a skilled custom jeweler duplicate the design for you. As a large portion of the cost of such an undertaking is labor, I would recommend having it made in white gold rather than silver. I do not know the weight of the your ring so I cannot tell you the cost of the gold to duplicate it. But you can figure that a skilled jeweler will receive about $50.00 per hour and spend several hours creating your ring.