elbow grease

i must say that elbow grease goes a long way. just look at the difference a little time can make:

now, i must clarify that i honestly prefer the aesthetic of the tarnished tray better, it looks loved and aged and smokey. however, bc the tray that i found was real silver (i paid two dollars!) i had to remove the tarnish bc it will erode both the design of the tray and the silver itself. just thought i would let you know in case you birds ever find one at the flea market that you decide to adopt. also, i kind of can't deny that the polished tray does look beautiful. so shiny.