What Are The Facts About Sterling Silver Jewelry?

Sterling Silver Jewelry is versatile, sophisticated and timeless. Sterling Silver deserves its place as one of the most loved precious metals. Sterling silver is one of the top metals preferred for jewelry and is a great choice when shopping for women's earrings, necklaces, rings and more. But most people aren't sure what makes this metal so special. So what exactly is sterling silver?

Sterling silver is an affordable and workable metal, which means that it gives jewelers and designers greater artistic freedom. They can experiment with new styles and keep up with the latest trends — whether you're searching for a grand statement piece or delicate and on-trend jewelry, you're sure to find something in sterling silver that suits your style.

Stamp Quality

The easiest way to tell if a piece is sterling silver is to look for a quality stamp. According to international standards, all sterling silver should be marked with a quality or fineness stamp, which clearly states the precious metal content of the jewelry. These stamps are usually "925", "92.5", ".925", "ster", or "ss" to indicate the purity of the silver within it. 

Sterling Silver Alloys

Sterling Silver consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Copper has shown to be its best companion, improving the metal's hardness and durability without affecting its beautiful color. Sterling silver is most often used for jewelry and household accessories because of its combination of beauty and durability.

Care For Sterling Silver Jewelry

With proper care, your sterling silver will last a lifetime. To minimize scratches and other damage, store your sterling silver jewelry either in a cloth pouch or in a separate compartment in your jewelry box. Avoid exposing your sterling silver to household chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or when swimming in chlorinated water, as these chemicals can damage silver.

Cleaning Sterling Silver

Sterling silver jewelry will tarnish over time as it is exposed to natural elements in the air. A quick polish will restore the shine and luster of sterling silver jewelry. Use bleach-free or ammonia-free silver polish labeled for tarnish removal to clean sterling silver jewelry. A nonabrasive cloth labeled for polishing should be used to prevent scratching. Microfiber cloths are great for polishing silver jewelry.