Scratches
Avoid wearing rings while carrying out any activities such as gardening, heavy lifting, or anything else that might cause the silver to come against a hard surface. Silver will get very fine scratches through general wear, but can be damaged by bigger scratches if you are rough with them. You also want to take care as the surface of opal has a similar hardness to glass, so it is also in danger of scratching/cracking if you carry out the above activities wearing them.
Opal Care
As all the opals I work with are 100% solid (not doublets or triplets), they are actually pretty sturdy and can be worn just as much as any other stone! Just follow the general jewellery tips above and your piece will stay nice and intact :)
Tarnish
Silver can tarnish over time due to various factors, and it can be different for everyone depending on your skin, your environment, and your lifestyle. Of course you'd ideally want to keep your silver clean and dry at all times, but if you're out and about a lot like I am, it's can be harder to keep it that way!
A few things I've noticed when wearing my jewellery is that things such as physical activities, sunbathing and swimming in the ocean can all result in the build up of sweat and salt on your silver. It's not going to damage it, but if you want to spend less time cleaning build-up off your silver, take it off when doing these things. I'm doing all of these things all of the time, so mine build up quite fast, but for the average person it shouldn't be too hectic :)
If your silver does become tarnished or dirty, you can either polish it up with a microfibre/polishing cloth, or if it's got quite a bit of build-up on it, you can mix dish soap and warm water and use a soft cloth to rub the dirt off.
If you're not wearing your jewellery, clean it and dry it, and store it in a cool dry place inside of a container or jewellery bag and it will hold it's shine ready for you to wear next time.