Heigh Ho Silver --- A Sterling Choice in Jewelry

Silver is a wonderful metal -- with its high luster and malleability, it's the perfect metal for a wide range of uses, including rings, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, settings and even little spoons for the mouths of the offspring of the rich and famous.

Sterling was adapted as a standard alloy in England in the 12th Century when King Henry II imported refiners from an area of Germany known as the Easterling. The product they made was of a consistent quality and came into usage as currency by 1300 when it was known as Easterling silver.

PURITY
Since pure silver is too soft for most ordinary applications, it is often alloyed (mixed) with other metals to add hardness. While sterling silver today contains 92.5% or better pure silver, the base metal in the alloy can still vary widely. The most valuable base metal for jewelry is copper, and the alloys of .925 silver/.075 copper are often referred to as Italian Sterling Silver. Mexican Silver generally has a large quantity of lead used as the base metal.

All sterling silver must be identified with an approved mark to indicate its purity. If one of the following three markings is not present on a piece of jewelry, the item is NOT sterling silver and cannot be called such.

Sterling Silver (or Sterling or STR)
.925 (for 92.5%)
999 for 99.9% (which is too soft for most jewelry.)

TARNISH
Strong, beautiful and affordable, silver's image could only be tarnished by one thing -- and that's tarnish, itself! If you've ever been faced with the advanced stages of tarnish, you know what a stubborn adversary it can be. Tarnish starts as a yellow tone, and can advance like a conquering army to cover your sterling jewelry with a blackish purple coating that's hard to remove.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to keep your silver shining, and tarnish-free. Since sulfur is silver's main corrosive enemy, Step One is to keep silver away from sulfurous materials.

PROTECT YOUR SILVER
Keeping your silver in an airtight storage container helps insure its health and longevity by limiting contact with sulfur and other corrosive agents present in the air. A low-tech, readily available container is the handy-dandy Ziplock storage bag in your kitchen. (Baggies are fine too; even a generic bag as long as it seals airtight.)

Remove silver while bathing, swimming, whirlpooling, doing dishes, cleaning with chemicals, or any other activity where your jewelry would come into contact with abrasive soaps or chemicals.

Don't "scrub" silver with a brush or coarse cloth; treat it tenderly. Silver is a softie; it will scratch. Instead of a brush, use a jewelry polishing cloth. If used regularly, a polishing cloth can keep tarnish from building up.

Don't use dips on jewelry pieces that have decorative oxidation. For example, some Celtic pieces have oxidation between the knots to highlight the curves and angles. If a dip is used to remove the tarnish, it will also remove the decorative oxidation. (Ooops!)

Don't wear silver while working outside, playing sports, or other activities that may result in scratching or denting or making a mess.

THE SILVER STANDARD – 25th WEDDING ANNIVERSARY REMEMBRANCES
No matter what Anniversary Gift List you consult -- traditional, modern or the now popular "ultra-modern" (which includes items like clocks and appliances) -- SILVER remains the gift of choice for a 25th wedding anniversary.

Return to Learning Center