Sterling Silver Silver is a special metal that allows artists and designers to craft beautiful pieces of jewelry. Silver have a properties that enable easy polish of any metal. Main reason is because of the fact that silver has the highest degree of optical reflectivity amongst of all the metals reflecting 95% of all visible light.
One of the most interesting characteristic about silver is that it is also very malleable and soft. Due to this high malleability, alot of designers are able to craft and mold the silver into an infinite number of forms letting them create bold, beautiful, and artistic pieces of jewelry.
So what does it exactly mean "Sterling Silver" to anyone? Sterling silver refers to an alloy (a combination of metals). Sterling silver is a combination of 92.5% silver and usually 7.5% copper. Some of the consumer would name it as 925 slivers. So why combine the two metals to make sterling silver? Why not just use 100% pure silver? The answer lies in the paragraph above. We cannot use pure silver, simply because pure silver is just too malleable. It will not maintain its shape, thus we need to combine the silver with a harder metal to make it into sterling silver.
So why does sterling silver turn brown/black something? This is called tarnishing, and it is one of the important properties of sterling silver. Over time through oxidation (contact with air) and exposure to other materials (sulfur is a main culprit), sterling silver will tarnish. Some refer to tarnish as "patina" and many people even love the lustrous color of patina. However, there are ways to remove tarnish or patina. A cloth made to clean sterling silver will usually have chemicals gentle enough to remove patina. Harsh dips and creams are never recommended because they are too abrasive and can scratch and damage your jewelry. NEVER EVER use toothpaste!
Sterling Silver has been used in jewelry making for thousands of years. Known for its affordability, ease of use, and trend-setting styles, silver has become widely used in today's marketplace. Silver by itself is very soft therefore, .925 Sterling Silver is composed of 92.5% silver and the other 7.5% is made up with copper, zinc or nickel. This additional percentage of metal gives Sterling Silver the durability required for jewelry, without compromising its beautiful white luster.
Now that you have learned more about this beautiful metal, go out and treat yourself to a wonder piece of sterling silver jewelry!
