Firstly, what is silver?
Silver is a chemical element with the chemical Ag originating from the Latin word argentum. Due to its attractive color and shine it has long been valued as a precious metal, used to make ornaments, jewellery, high-value tableware and utensils (silver ware) and silver coins and bullion. It has a very high thermal and electrical conductivity and is used industrially in electrical contacts and conductors, in mirrors, as catalysis of chemical reactions and in photographic film. It also has antibacterial properties, which has led for it to be used in medical dressings and disinfectants.
Silver is rarely used in its pure form to make jewellery or durable objects as it is too soft and so it is commonly mixed with other metals to give it strength.
So what’s sterling silver?
It is very rare for 99.9 silver to be used as this would be weak and would dent, scratch and snap easily and so Sterling silver is used widely in high quality jewellery.
What’s the difference between sterling silver and silver plated jewellery?
There is a huge difference in quality between real sterling silver and silver plated jewellery.
Silver plate is the process of bonding a very thin layer of silver to a base metal such as brass or copper. Silver plated jewellery is very common and inexpensive as the silver layer is so thin it is of little monetary value. Plated jewellery is also less durable as the silver coating will wear off over time unlike sterling silver jewellery which can last a life time. Silver plate is more common in costume and high street fashion jewellery and does not tend to have a very long life span.
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver. It contains 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other stronger metals such as copper. It is commonly referred to as 925 silver which is reflected in the 925 hallmark that you see stamped on sterling silver jewellery. Sterling silver is durable material used to make high quality jewellery which is why it is much more expensive than silver plated items.
Silver is a chemical element with the chemical Ag originating from the Latin word argentum. Due to its attractive color and shine it has long been valued as a precious metal, used to make ornaments, jewellery, high-value tableware and utensils (silver ware) and silver coins and bullion. It has a very high thermal and electrical conductivity and is used industrially in electrical contacts and conductors, in mirrors, as catalysis of chemical reactions and in photographic film. It also has antibacterial properties, which has led for it to be used in medical dressings and disinfectants.
Silver is rarely used in its pure form to make jewellery or durable objects as it is too soft and so it is commonly mixed with other metals to give it strength.
So what’s sterling silver?
It is very rare for 99.9 silver to be used as this would be weak and would dent, scratch and snap easily and so Sterling silver is used widely in high quality jewellery.
What’s the difference between sterling silver and silver plated jewellery?
There is a huge difference in quality between real sterling silver and silver plated jewellery.
Silver plate is the process of bonding a very thin layer of silver to a base metal such as brass or copper. Silver plated jewellery is very common and inexpensive as the silver layer is so thin it is of little monetary value. Plated jewellery is also less durable as the silver coating will wear off over time unlike sterling silver jewellery which can last a life time. Silver plate is more common in costume and high street fashion jewellery and does not tend to have a very long life span.