STERLING SILVER – WHAT IS IT?

Sterling silver is good quality and a beautiful choice for jewelry. Once considered more precious than gold. Pure silver is a soft metal with a white, lustrous hue. Dubbed as the queen of metals and the whitest of all precious metals. Silver has been a prime choice for modern, innovative designers because of its beauty and high lustrous finish. It is harder than gold but is more pliable and supple, hence, it is easy to hammer and mold.

In ancient Egyptian times, some believed that silver possessed religious and spiritual significance.  It was often used during religious worship & rites of passage ceremonies. Silver has a long history of use in antibiotics and sterilization, with many cultures wearing silver jewelry to stave off infection, cold/flu symptoms, etc.

Although, due to its soft and malleable characteristics, pure silver is quite difficult to create designs with—making it not ideal for manufacturing fine jewelry and pieces. The fabrication, then, of silver products is made possible with the use of sterling silver.

What is Sterling Silver

Sterling silver is one of the most popular jewelry materials on the market for a reason. With its sophisticated sheen and beautiful cool coloring, sterling silver jewelry is stylish and timeless. Sterling silver is an alloy or mix of metals that gives it some advantages over pure silver. Silver that has other metals mixed into it is called a silver alloy. “Sterling silver” is a name for a very high-quality silver alloy that contains a large amount of pure silver and only a small percentage of other metals.

Sterling silver is composed of 92.5% by weight of silver, and 7.5% of other metals, most commonly copper. Centuries of experiments proved copper to be the most compatible metal to mix with silver because it improves the hardness, durability, resilience, and stability of the product. The color is maintained and has little effect to the value of the precious metal. It is astoundingly different from silver-plated products, where a layer of silver is coated over another metal or alloy so it can be easily scraped off and tarnished.

Why is sterling silver sometimes called “925 silver”?

Sterling silver contains 92.5% pure silver. This percentage – 92.5% – can also be expressed as a fraction of a thousand: 925 out of 1000. That’s why the number 925 is often used to refer to sterling silver. Similarly, fine silver bullion which contains 99.9% silver is often referred to as 999 silver.

What Are the Advantages of Sterling Silver for Jewelry?

Which is better: silver or sterling silver? That all depends on your application. For jewelry, sterling silver is usually the best choice, since pure silver jewelry is easily damaged. These are a few of the reasons sterling silver is good quality and beautiful choice for jewelry:

• Hypoallergenic– According to the Mayo Clinic, sterling silver is hypoallergenic. It’s a great choice if your skin reacts to other materials like nickel.
• Durable– Sterling is one of the most durable precious metals, which means that it’s an excellent option for delicate filigree, as well as pieces that receive regular wear.
• Valuable– Jewelry made from sterling silver will hold its value since the metal itself is precious. This may not be true for costume jewelry made from brass and other materials.
• Cost-effective– Sterling is considerably less expensive than gold, platinum, and other precious metals

Sterling Silver Value and Desirability

Sterling silver jewelry has inherent value because of its metal content. No matter what the style of the jewelry is or its condition, the sterling silver itself is worth the money. Silver is a commodity that is always valuable. The current sterling silver price depends on market conditions. You can check the current market value at sites like JM Bullion, and it’s important to remember that values can change significantly from day or day and year to year.

Is Sterling Silver Worth as Much as Pure Silver?

The value of sterling silver is not quite as high as the value of pure silver, but it’s not worth significantly less. Imagine you have a brooch that’s in really bad condition. Even though it isn’t attractive as a piece of jewelry, you wonder how much the silver in it is worth. You can compare the value of the brooch, which weighs half an ounce, based on whether it is pure silver or sterling silver. Remember, this value will change constantly, so this example only reflects silver values at a set point in time.

• If the brooch is half an ounce of pure silver, it could be worth about $11.50.
• If the brooch is half an ounce of sterling silver, or 92.5% pure silver, it could be worth about $10.67.

Is Sterling Silver Cheap or Good Quality?

Whether or not you consider sterling silver to be a desirable jewelry material is mostly a matter of personal preference and the other materials to which you’re comparing it. Sterling silver is less valuable than other white-colored precious metals like white gold, palladium, and platinum. If you’re expecting one of these metals and have jewelry made of sterling silver, you may not be satisfied. However, sterling silver is far higher quality and more valuable than base metals like nickel or steel.

Sterling Silver Marks and Identification

What Are Some Common Sterling Silver Hallmarks?

Understanding silver hallmarks is important for knowing the value of your jewelry. Sterling silver can be marked in a variety of ways, including the following:

• “Sterling”
• “Sterling silver”
• “925”
• “92.5% pure”
• “925/1000”

Where Can You Find Sterling Silver Marks on Jewelry?

Jewelry markings can occur in different places, depending on the type of piece. Here’s where to look for a sterling silver mark on various items:

• Sterling silver rings will be marked on the inside of the ring shank or band, often in the widest part.
• Look for a mark on sterling silver earrings on the back of the earring where it rests against the ear.
• Examine the back of a brooch or pendant for a mark, since most of these larger pieces are designed in a way that has a side that is rarely seen.
• Sterling silver necklaces and bracelets will have marks on the clasp or on a small metal tag near the clasp.
• Sterling silver chains will also have a mark near the clasp. If they don’t have a clasp or the clasp isn’t marked, examine the chain links with a magnifying glass.

How do I know my jewelry is sterling silver?

Genuine Sterling Silver comes at a hefty price and can be considered an investment because its value increases through the passage of time. If, then, you are contemplating buying sterling silver products, ensuring that you get your money’s worth is imperative. There are many products sold all over the world that claim that it is made of sterling silver, they pass a counterfeit good as the real thing, but when tested, prove otherwise. As a prospective buyer, here are some ways in which you can check the authenticity of your future asset.

Magnet

Silver, gold, and platinum are non-ferrous materials, therefore, they are non-magnetic. An ordinary fridge magnet may not be enough, though, to elicit any response from metals mixed with silver; a heavy-duty magnet, purchased from the nearest hardware, is more advisable to be used. Once you have your magnet, place the product near it, if it sticks or even moves as you hover the magnet over it, it is not sterling silver.

Cloth Test

925 silver oxidizes when exposed to air leading to chemical changes in its wake. Using a soft white cloth, rub a small part of the jewelry, if the surface produces a black mark it would mean that the product is sterling silver. On the other hand, the color change would be absent in fake merchandise

Acid Test

Using acid to test the authenticity of the product needs to be done safely, should there be a need to do this, it is best to apply extreme caution. In theory, a drop of nitric acid on a silver-plated product, or other low-quality alternatives for real sterling silver, would alter its color, producing a greenish tinge. While genuine sterling silver, when subjected to this kind of test will turn its color into the cream.

Ice Test

Silver has the highest thermal conductivity. Place ice directly on top of the silver product and see if the ice melts immediately like it is placed on a hot surface and not just on a room-temperature surface. This test works well with solid silver bars and coins.

Smell Test

Real sterling silver products would not exude any smell. If the goods you believe to be sterling silver produces any odor it may mean that there is a higher concentration for the alloy it is mixed with.

Price

The value of an authentic sterling silver product can be costly. It greatly relies upon the labor involved in crafting it, the intricacy of its design, and the skill of the craftsman. Fake commodities are being sold at a “too good to be true” amount so it is best to check the market first before taking into consideration buying a product for an unbelievably low price.

Markings

Sterling silver jewelry is almost always marked. Unless your piece is a one-of-a-kind item crafted by a jewelry artist, it will be labeled. This makes genuine sterling jewelry easy to identify. If your item is hand-crafted, it should be accompanied by a certificate of authenticity. If you’re unsure about the metal content of a piece, you can take it to a jeweler for testing.

Sterling silver products have markings to identify their make and to say that it is made up of 92.5% of silver. Commonly written as “.925”, “925”, “S925”, or “STER”, these markings are found on the products. In some cases where a marking is not present, an official stamp from the manufacturer will prove that it is highly likely to be genuine.

Hallmark and stamps are used to name the source of origin and the purity of the metal. Countries involved in manufacturing commercially-made sterling products are usually found with one. These hallmarks are also known as “Assayer’s marks” which can be in the form of animals or other figures that may represent the country of origin. Silver made in Ireland, for instance, bear the name “Hibernia”, which is the Latin name of their country. By understanding these traditions in crafting sterling silver products, you are more likely to be able to gauge the authenticity of the product.

Second Opinion

It does take an expert to determine, for sure, whether an item is genuine sterling silver or not. Taking your products to a local jeweler or pawn shop would help.

Store

When you are still in doubt about taking the bull by its horns and doing tests on your own, the best tip would be to choose a reputable store that has an established and excellent reputation when considering purchasing genuine sterling silver products. Of course, these stores, themselves, would do everything to the best of their ability to sell only genuine ones.

Whether or not you are buying a piece of sterling silver jewelry, dinnerware, or any other sterling silver product. It is important. to have an idea as to how you can distinguish a real one from a counterfeit  It is about getting your money’s worth and being able to get the investment you are hoping for.

Can Silver Tarnish?

Over time, sterling silver jewelry may tarnish. It’s primarily the other alloy metals in sterling silver, like copper, that can cause it to take on a black or green hue. The speed of the tarnishing depends on the water (including bathing, perspiration, and air moisture) and chemicals (sulfur pollution in the air, soaps, detergents, and cosmetics) that you come into contact with or even where your jewelry is stored. That doesn’t mean you need to get rid of the jewelry, but rather learn how to take care of it.

Check out 5 tips below on how to take care of your Sterling Silver jewelry pieces. 

• Take off your jewelry when you are using beauty products. Face cleansers, moisturizers, hair products, perfumes, and more, can cause build-up and tarnish any jewelry you are wearing. Make sure to always do your full morning routine and put your jewelry on as a last step!
• Remove your jewelry when you are handling cleaning supplies and tidying up around your house. Household cleaning supplies and even materials like rubber gloves contain sulfur and can also irritate your sterling silver pieces, so it’s best to remove those before any tough handling.  
• Make sure it’s stored in the right setting. Invest in a high-quality jewelry box instead of throwing your jewelry in plastic bags, as plastics and Tupperware-type containers are high in sulfate. A jewelry case adds a nice pop of color to any setting and has a ton of room to store all of your jewelry!
• Purchase a silver cleaning kit. Sterling Silver jewelry cleaners are inexpensive and easy to use – you can literally find them anywhere. Pop your jewelry in the liquid cleaners or use cleansing wipes to get that sparkling effect.
• Finally, wear it often! Although it’s important to take off your jewelry when you’re using beauty products or cleaning supplies, it’s still important to wear those pieces often because your skin’s natural oils will help the silver keep its shine.