I have customers who wear my jewellery and it looks as good as it did the day I made it. I have other customers who wear my jewellery and it looks so awful I hope that they won't tell people where it came from! The difference is how it's been looked after...
Tarnish
Silver jewellery blackens when it reacts with sulphur in the atmosphere. If you wear your jewellery regularly then everyday rubbing against your skin and your clothes will naturally polish away the tarnish and the silver rings I wear have never needed cleaning.
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However, if you have a small jewellery collection and like to rotate your pieces then it helps to keep them away from circulating air. I always say that Tupperware is the best jewellery box but actually anything is fine - just don't leave your jewellery out when you're not wearing it.
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If your jewellery does tarnish then there are lots of proprietary cleaners that work fine to remove the tarnish and this is best done as soon as you notice it; tarnish is much easier to remove before it's built up.
Scratches
Silver and higher-carat gold are both quite soft so they will scratch easily. Dropping your jewellery onto a hard or rough floor will give it tiny dents and definitely take off rings and bangles before doing the gardening or washing up. Many gemstones are quite soft too. Diamonds are pretty much bullet proof but even sapphires, the next hardest stone to diamonds, will scratch or chip if scraped along a hard surface.
Always remove your jewellery, especially rings, if you're going to be doing anything that could damage it.
Repairs and Sizing
All my jewellery is made by me. And if I can make it then I can definitely mend it! Please get in touch if you've got a piece of jewellery that needs a return trip to my bench peg