Cheaper silver-plated pieces are often lacquered to inhibit tarnishing. But when they do tarnish--and they eventually will--the lacquer makes it very difficult to polish them. And repeated polishing will eventually rub off the plating. None of our pieces are -plated. They're either solid German Silver or Sterling Silver or have a thick silver overlay veneer. None are lacquered. Polish as needed (likely only two to four times per year). Most professional silversmiths like 3M Tarni-Shield. And if you really want to apply a protective coating, silversmiths seem to prefer a micro-crystalline wax such as Renaissance Wax; developed for museum curators and used at the Smithsonian Institute, Windsor Castle and the British Museum.