What Kind Of Silver Is This? by Isidro Nilsson

One of the comments I hear often when selling my jewelry, is 'Is it really silver?' I believe the reason for this is that for the most part, silver is not an expensive metal when compared to gold or platinum. To see a comparison of today's gold and silver prices, visit www.EnergyRings.com/gold.html .

If I make sterling silver jewelry, I set the price based on the time and material cost with a little for creativity, resulting in what I think is a good price. This sometimes backfires because people expect to pay more for Sterling silver. The reason is that there are various other silver colored metals that are often mistaken for sterling silver.

So here is a list of the more common types of silver used in jewelry.

Sterling Silver: The word "Sterling" represents the best known and most respected quality marking in use today. This is the most common form of silver used in fine jewelry. It consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% pure copper. The reason for adding the 7.5% copper, is to give the silver the strength and wearing quality it should have to hold up as a piece of jewelry.

There is something fascinating and beautiful about sterling silver, which improves with age and use. No other metal or alloy has ever been found which duplicates its color and luster.

It is no wonder that sterling silver has gone unchanged in formula for centuries. The intrinsic value and prestige of this alloy has persisted in our minds as the absolute highest quality of all the silver alloys.

Fine Silver (99.9% pure silver) is the most common form of pure silver used in jewelry. It is primarily used to secure stones in place. The reason for this is that fine silver is so malleable and soft that it can be easily burnished and shaped to fit the contour of the stone.

When silver is used in jewelry, In most cases, it is sterling silver. The term "Silver" has come to mean "Sterling Silver" since sterling is the most common form of silver used to make fine jewelry.

There is a metal alloy called "German Silver". Contrary to common belief, there is no actual silver in it. This yellowish white alloy is composed of copper (65%), Zinc (23%), and the balance is Nickel. It is most commonly used for glasses (the frame) and other decorative and costume jewelry.

There is another close relative to German Silver and it is called Nickel Silver. It is mostly copper with 18% nickel and about 17% Zinc. Nickel is very common in costume jewelry and is also a very common base metal for items plated in silver.

As the term implies, Coin Silver is used in the making of coins. In the United States, the most common formula is 90% pure silver and the balance is made up of other metals. Today this formula is still used in jewelry but no longer in the manufacture of coins in the United States.

Here is a bit of trivia. the United States Nickel is actually made up of only 25% nickel and the rest is copper.

To understand more about how silver jewelry can change your health, visit EnergyRings.com. This site includes copper, gold and silver jewelry created to improve your health and beauty. Copper Bracelets and Copper Rings are quite unique. Click here to get your own unique version of this article.

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