- What is Sterling Silver?
Silver is a precious metal. Pure silver is actually quite a soft metal – it is made into an alloy in order to give it strength and structure. This alloy is what we refer to as “sterling” silver. Sterling silver is composed of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper or another metal – copper is the industry standard, although other alloys have been developed in recent years.
- What does the .925 mean?
Sterling silver is stamped with a hallmark – it can be “ster” “925” or “sterling silver” if there’s a lot of real estate on the piece. The “925” is an indication that the silver is truly sterling, or composed of at least 92.5% silver. When purchasing sterling silver jewelry, it is a good idea to look for this hallmark to ensure that you are getting the quality you expect.
- Why does silver tarnish?
Have you ever noticed that when you buy a nice shiny piece of silver jewelry, it does not maintain that shine? Over the months and years, you might notice tarnishing or oxidation – your silver might look darker, yellower, or less lustrous than it did when it was new. (Don’t worry – there are some excellent ways to restore that shine!)
Here’s something that you might not know – it is not usually the silver that tarnishes, but the other metal in a sterling silver alloy. So if your sterling silver is 7.5% copper, it is the copper that causes the majority of the oxidation that occurs. However, without that additional metal, the silver would be far too soft and malleable to hold it’s shape and resist scratches.
Salt is particularly corrosive, so keep your jewels out of the ocean!
- How do I clean my Sterling Silver?
Aside from keeping your jewelry stored in a nice dry place, there are a few things you can do to keep sterling silver shiny.
One of the easiest tools to use in the silver shining arsenal is the jewelry polishing cloth. These are available from most jewelers, as well as many internet retailers. They are chemically pre-treated cloths that do a remarkable job of removing silver oxides from the surface of silver. Depending on the level of tarnish or oxidation, this may require a little bit of elbow grease, but the results are well worth the effort.
Coming soon: A video tutorial about a homemade cleaning solution!
