Sure it tarnishes. I think that gives it a certain charm actually. And when you polish it nothing sparkles in the sun like sterling silver. The silver is soft enough to engrave easily and hard enough to keep its sharp engraving intact. Steel is too hard to finely engrave and then, even when the artist is able to get a nice engraving, sliver plating fills in the sharp edges.
You really have to hunt for sterling silver. Look for a 925 stamp on it. That's 92.5% silver. Look for Mexican silver. Mexican artists are well known for the high quality of their engraving.
Some years ago I had corresponded with an engraver in Mexico. I don't remember where exactly. This guy had sent me some samples. A language problem left him with the impression I was a dealer looking for a source of supply rather than an individual looking for pieces. The hell of it is these samples were some of the finest engraving I've ever seen and I couldn't get him to quote me on anything less than a 50 piece set. Distresses me to this day. This guy's work should be framed.
I should be ashamed. Every year I swear I'm not going to let my saddle become such a mess. I really have to get a bag to keep it in. Oh I've covered it and that helps but it seems that makes it a cozier place for the mice to hang out.
Over the years one finds things that work really well for cleaning tack. And as long as I've been doing this I always think it's not going to be that bad, only to be sitting there 2 hours later wondering what ever possessed me to clean a saddle today?! Western saddles with their tooling can be a real..er.."challenge" to clean.
For a really dirty, sweaty, mildewy saddle I think nothing works better than Effax Leder-Combi.
It's expensive. And it doesn't seem to be anything special. But it works wonders when it comes to cleaning.
I don't like the way it conditions however. So for really dirty jobs I use the Leder-Combi first, scrub with a soft nylon brush, follow with a wipe down, and finish with this stuff.
I love the smell of the Leather Therapy Wash and it does a really good job. I think it conditions better than the Leder-Combi does and I used it exclusively until I found the Leder-Combi.
When I'm done and I've let some air move around the saddle I finish it with the Effax Mildew-Free. I got lazy last year and I didn't use the Mildew-Free at the end of the year and I paid for it with a big cleaning job. It's not that bad when I use the Mildew-Free.
And finally for a really nice soft bridle I've been using this stuff for years.
People who work with leather for a living say take care of leather like you take care of your hands. And the Farnum Leather New Balsam is like hand cream. I massage it into a cleaned bridle with my bare hands. Let it sit overnight and it's clean and soft.
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