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