Silver jewelry that is genuine is sterling silver. They come in classic designs and are the finest jewels. A simple buyer’s tip is that sterling silver is high quality silver and can be used to make silver jewelry. This is said to be the best as it has more than 90% pure silver and is mixed with alloys to ensure durability and strength.
Sterling jewellery
Pure metal is very soft, malleable and can damage easily. Thus to make jewelry or any other silver piece, it is mixed with other metals so that the end product is durable. Here, silver is the popular alloy consisting of 92.5% silver and copper to 7.5%. Metals are put as an addition to cover the non-silver 7.5% of sterling and copper is the right metal mix that offers durability and hardness, retaining the original color. Copper added in small amounts have very little effect on sterling and the silver item price is based on the labor, the craftsperson skill and the design intricacy.
Quality
Most jewellery items of high quality bear stamps representing the quality and fineness. This is a mark designating the jewelry content of the metal and is also accompanied by a registered trademark.
Pure metal is soft and is best used only if there is a need for malleability, such as in handcrafted jewelry that features intricate designs. The durability and beauty combination has made sterling used often for jewelry and household accessories. This is the reason that silver has quality marks and they are:
- Sterling
- Sterling or ster
- .925
Buying jewelry or accessories is not enough; this fine silver with proper care will last lifelong. Ensure it is scratch and damage free by storing jewelry in a separate compartment in a cloth pouch. The silver gets damaged if you expose it to ammonia or bleach, household chemicals or even in chlorinated water.
Clean Regularly
Prevent tarnish build-up in silver jewelry. Tarnish is the dulling that appears when silver reacts with hydrogen sulphide or sulphur. Use polishes to clean silver and these remove tarnish effortlessly. There are fine solutions, silver polishes or cloths to remove tarnish.
Wearing silver jewelry and preventing tarnish is possible with regular cleaning. However, before buying look for the makers mark or the fineness mark in the silver item underside to ensure quality.
Purchasing Silver is of real value and is regarded to be a valuable investment. Sterling price also fluctuates same as the gold value and a little experience and know how is required to invest in silver.
- Sterling market value changes daily. Thus, while purchasing sterling jewelry pay for the beauty and craftsmanship.
- Silver and sterling are used as interchangeable words. A sterling is the same as silver chain. Sterling comes with makers mark or.925. Beware of handmade pieces without marks.
- Before purchasing look for the mark and buy it from genuine or reputable dealers.
