Archive for October, 2008

How to Select Silver Jewelry

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Silver is a very common precious metal that we see today. Silver looks great with the black evening dress as it shines brilliantly reflects light on its white surface. Nevertheless, when selecting a piece of silver jewelry you do well to learn the difference between pure silver, sterling silver and silver coated jewelry because they make a significant difference in quality and price of the jewelry you are purchasing.

Pure silver which usually still contain traces of other elements is not a good choice for making jewelry because it is too soft and malleable. This means that whatever shape that is formed with pure silver would not stay permanent. Instead what we would want is sterling silver which is made up of 925 part silver to 75 part alloy such as copper, nickel or zinc. The added elements give sterling silver increase strength and durability. Sterling silver jewelry looks shinier than pure silver but it does need maintenance and cleaning. Keeping your sterling silver jewelry in a dry and sealed bag would ensure that the shine would last longer.