Is This Sterling Silver?

I often hear people ask if the metal I use for my jewelry is true silver. If compared to platinum or gold, sterling silver is pretty inexpensive. So by comparison, silver is cheap. To see a comparison for today's silver and gold price, visit my website at EnergyRings.com/gold.html

When I make jewelry from silver, I price it according to what I feel is a fair price for my creativity, time, and materials. This results in very reasonable prices. So much so, that sometimes people question the authenticity of the materials. This questioning is understandable, given the fact that there are other items of jewelry available that are 'silver' but not sterling silver.

This brings us to a brief definition guide of the types of silver available.

Sterling Silver: The word "Sterling" represents the best known and most respected quality marking in use today. This is the most common form of silver used in fine jewelry. It consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% pure copper. The reason for adding the 7.5% copper, is to give the silver the strength and wearing quality it should have to hold up as a piece of jewelry.

No other silver alloy has the beauty in luster and color than sterling silver. That may be why it is the most prestigious of all the silver alloys (combination of metals).

It is no wonder that sterling silver has gone unchanged in formula for centuries. The intrinsic value and prestige of this alloy has persisted in our minds as the absolute highest quality of all the silver alloys.

Fine Silver (99.9% pure silver) is the most common form of pure silver used in jewelry. It is primarily used to secure stones in place. The reason for this is that fine silver is so malleable and soft that it can be easily burnished and shaped to fit the contour of the stone.

When silver is used in jewelry, In most cases, it is sterling silver. The term "Silver" has come to mean "Sterling Silver" since sterling is the most common form of silver used to make fine jewelry.

The alloy "German Silver" is actually not silver at all. The only silver in German Silver is the color and that is not that close. It is a yellow white metal used in the frames of eye glasses and costume jewelry. It consists of 12% Nickel, 23% Zinc, and the rest is copper.

Much like German silver, Nickel silver is mostly copper, about 65% and has 17 % Zinc and 18% nickel. It is used in silver plated jewelry and other silver plated items. Nickel Silver has a bluish white color and is also used extensively in costume jewelry.

Coin Silver: As the term is used in the USA is made up of 90% Silver and 10% other metals. This was the standard for silver coins in the US but is no longer used for this purpose today. The term remains, however, and this alloy is still occasionally used in jewelry.

Did you know that the nickels in the USA are actually just 25% nickel? The remainder 75% is copper.

About the Author

To understand more about how silver jewelry can change your health, visit EnergyRings.com. This site features copper, gold and silver jewelry created to improve your health and beauty. Copper Bracelets and Copper Rings are very unique.

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