The present article aims to offer a comprehensive approach to the conservation of silver objects. It is not intended to suggest or recommend any specific recipe or treatment for a given case. Instead, the paper presents a range of possibilities to assist the conservator in defining the state of conservation and the possible need for treatment and protection of an object. Besides giving the background to the structural properties of alloys used in silver artefacts, the possible forms of silver deterioration are presented, with special emphasis on tarnishing and mineralization. Less frequent cases, such as selective, localized and stress corrosion are also discussed. A descriptive review of materials and methods used for cleaning, consolidating and protecting silver artefacts follows, accompanied by an extensive bibliography.