Is It Really Silver?

By Isidro Nilsson

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

The price that I come up with for sterling silver jewelry is generally based on three things. Time, materials and creativity. This ends up being a great price when compared to gold. Consequently, people often doubt that I am using real sterling silver. I think that this is because there are other “silver” metals that are not true Sterling silver and those metals are much cheaper.

So here is a list of the more common types of silver used in jewelry.

We will start with “Sterling Silver”. This is the most accepted form of silver for the jewelry industry. It is used in fine jewelry all over the world. The formula is 92.5% pure silver and the balance is copper. The copper is added to give the metal strength because pure silver is too soft to use in 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).

Sterling silver has always stood alone in quality, intrinsic value and of course beauty. The formula for sterling silver has gone unchanged for centuries. I am sure the reason for this is that something so perfect needs no change.

When silver is 99.9% pure, it is called Fine Silver. Fine silver is very soft. for this reason, it has very limited applications in silver jewelry. The part of silver jewelry that holds the stones in place is called a bezel. Bezels are often made from fine silver because it is so malleable. This makes it easy to contour and shape the bezel to secure 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.

There is a metal alloy called “German Silver”. Contrary to common belief, there is no actual silver in it. This yellowish white alloy is composed of copper (65%), Zinc (23%), and the balance is Nickel. It is most commonly used for glasses (the frame) and other decorative and costume jewelry.

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.

Here is a bit of trivia. the United States Nickel is actually made up of only 25% nickel and the rest is copper.

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

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