There are many types of silver available on the market today. It is important to be familiar with the competing metals in the marketplace in order to educate your customers about silver quality standards and alternatives in the industry. Don't assume you are buying sterling silver jewelry supplies when something is called "silver." Below you will find definitions and comparisons of the different silver metals used to make jewelry around the world.
First, customers need to understand that silver used in jewelry is usually an alloy which means a metal mixture of two or more elements from the periodic table. Silver is an element. Other metallic elements are alloyed with silver for various reasons that are described below.
Second, a lot of finished silver jewelry will have a quality stamp somewhere on the piece. This is the quickest way to identify quality. There are cases of fraudulent marking but they are fairly rare. These tiny markings may only be legible under magnification. However, jewelry items or components are only required to bear a stamp when there is a surface area available. For that reason, small findings and components are often unstamped even though they are quality alloys. Quality stamp standards are described in the sections below.
Sterling is the jewelry quality standard in the United States and most world markets. It is an alloy of 92.5% silver. The remaining 7.5% is usually copper though it is sometimes other metals such as nickel. The other metals in the alloy increase hardness so the material will be more durable. Alloy additions also create the color and luster that is so prized by consumers. Sterling silver is the silver color we are most familiar with and the most common type of silver in US jewelry stores. It is very bright and shiny, but it will tarnish. Tarnish is easy to clean with readily available polishing products.
Sterling silver is harder than fine silver, but it is still soft compared to other metals. Fine sterling silver chain and thin metals can be stretched or "drawn" under tension. And jewelry will be scratched or dented if it is banged around. Sterling can be soldered, formed and annealed repeatedly. The most common quality stamps are .925 and Stg.
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