Silver has been utilized since ancient ago because of its brilliant, shiny appearance, silver has been used as a precious material for adorning jewelry and ornaments for a very long time. Beyond its ornamental and monetary value, silver possesses a myriad of practical applications across various industries, owing to its unique properties and versatility. One notable aspect of silver is its tendency to tarnish. This tarnish can diminish the metal brightness and esthetic appeal. The issue of silver objects rusting, even under museum ambient conditions, has been well documented. The present investigation report focuses on the fabrication of hydrophobically modified nanozirconia particles using the sol–gel method to prevent tarnishing of silver metal. Synthesized nanozirconia sol was characterized by infrared spectroscopy. Zirconia particle size was determined to be 55 nm and zeta potential of − 36.25 mv which indicating the overall stability of the synthesized nanozirconia sol. A modified nanozirconia sol was used to achieve super hydrophobicity on the surface of silver metal. The surface morphology of the silver metal surface was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). An investigation into the wettability of the silver-coated surface was also conducted. The contact angle of the silver metal surface, after being coated, was measured to be 160°, confirming the super hydrophobic properties of the coating.