Remember how sterling silver and silver are the same thing? One of the best things about sterling silver is that it can be styled with anything. From casual dinners to formal occasions, sterling silver adds that classy touch of shine that elevates style without overpowering it. Here are some popular types of sterling silver jewelry:. Pendants: Jewelers and designers use sterling silver as an elegant and reliable metal casing for pendants to hold jewels and stones.
Necklaces: Sterling silver is often used for necklace chains and pendants. Earrings: Often, earrings are made with cheaper metals which cause irritation and can lead to bleeding and infection. Bracelets: Add a touch of shine with the flick of a wrist with a gorgeous sterling silver bracelet.
In fact, this word is popularly used as a label, when in fact silver should always be clearly identified with a hallmark representing its standard grade and quality. With that information in mind, always look for the hallmark as jewelers and artisans are legally obligated to stamp their pieces for potential buyers.
Inexpensive metals like nickel or brass can cause infections, especially with earrings. Browse our sterling silver jewelry collection to find the perfect new piece to add to your jewelry box. Sterling Silver Jewelry. Sterling Silver vs Silver You might be wondering what is sterling silver? Durability and Purity of Sterling Silver The reason sterling silver requires the mixture of other metals is because naturally, pure silver is soft.
Sterling Silver in Jewelry One of the best things about sterling silver is that it can be styled with anything. Here are some popular types of sterling silver jewelry: Pendants: Jewelers and designers use sterling silver as an elegant and reliable metal casing for pendants to hold jewels and stones. This also represents silver. See the above chart. The precious metal trade is rife with fraud to this day, but a savvy customer can get along without getting ripped off in the meantime.
If there are no silver stamps on the jewelry then this may indicate the jewelry is plated. It may be best to have such a piece tested. Jewelers do such tests by applying acid to a very small piece of material taken from the jewelry. Silver is a precious metal and its authenticity should be verified. A Nitric Acid Test is typically used to check if silver is pure or plated. To do so, jewellers file a small part of the item in a discreet area where it cannot be seen.
Jeweller then apply a few drops of nitric acid. If the area turns into creamy white, the silver is pure or sterling. If green, it is probably fake or silver-plated.
Stamps have existed since ancient times as a way to show the purity of precious metals. In many ways, these were actually among the first forms of consumer protection. In Europe, the tradition of hallmarking stems from the simple fact that frauds have always been rampant anywhere that money can be made. The assaying process assured consumers that they were getting what they paid for and not a similarly colored metal.
The British had a very intricate method of stamping their metals. The system used in England has changed over time and the assay office town stamp is no longer necessarily an indicator that the town in question was actually where the item was assayed.
Before this, the vast majority of silver was obtained by melting coinage and there were no formal assay offices. The US adopted the sterling standard in the s.
Many vintage marks, but far from all, include the name of the manufacturer. These stamps can offer good insight into the origin of a piece. Hallmarking is a complex subject, especially when it was done before modern times. The assays range from complete destruction of part of a batch of objects to simple touchstone processes.
How things are done largely depends on the office and origin. Sterling silver is one of the best materials around when it comes to ring construction. Those that are made of fine silver are generally fine pieces made as pendants or earrings. Many people are opting for sterling silver as the base metal of rings these days.
Because pure silver is much too soft to be used in jewelry, it is often combined with other metals to create a more durable metal. When To identify it as such, the number is stamped upon the silver, often in a hidden part of the jewelry.
This number is known as the hallmark and denotes the percentage of silver purity in the alloy. In other words, is the same as sterling silver, meaning that if there is any other stamp on the metal, it is not sterling silver.
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