Sterling silver jewelry is enjoying an unprecedented popularity with today's fashion conscious public. You know how beautiful sterling silver jewelry is and how brilliantly it shines. Now here is the rest of the story.

Silver has been used since ancient times, but has not survived as well as ancient gold because it tarnished and decomposes. There have been times, however, when silver was "in"; we are going through such a vogue today.

Silver is the most common of the precious metals. Fine silver is pure silver, which is seldom used for jewelry because it is too soft. Sterling silver is 925 parts silver to 75 of copper, the alloy most often used. Silver weighs about half as much as gold, has greater flexibility, but is not as malleable, it has always been less expensive as well. A comparable piece of gold jewelry might cost four or five times that of a piece of sterling silver jewelry.

The current fashion trend toward black clothing has made silver jewelry more popular than ever. Silver likes to be worn; it stays cleaner & shinier through movement and friction. So sterling silver is a perfect accessory for today's fast paced lifestyles. Much like gold, sterling silver needs to be cleaned.

Care and Cleaning of your Sterling Silver Jewelry

1.) For daily cleaning it is recommended to use a simple jewelry polishing cloth that is impregnated with special jewelry cleaner. These are widely available and are very easy to use. Store your cloth in a plastic zip-lock bag, and keeping your jewelry drawer or armoire. It is a good idea to have one cleaning cloth for gold and one for silver.

2.) For a slightly more "in-depth" cleaning you may want to use a liquid jewelry cleaner.

3.) For cleaning badly tarnished silver, here's a neat little trick

a.) Cover the inside bottom of a heat-proof glass dish on bowl with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side up.

b.) Place the tarnished silver in the bottom of the dish, contacting the aluminum foil.

c.) Add 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda, and then slowly pour boiling water to cover the piece. The tarnish will gradually collect on the aluminum foil.

d.) Remove your silver, rinse thoroughly, and polish.

Here are Some Tips for Greater Enjoyment of your Sterling Silver Jewelry

1.) Are your silver chains all tied-up in knots? If so, here's a nifty little trick for straightening them out. Dust your chain with a little talcum powder and then try to unknot it. If the knot is stubborn, place a small drop of baby oil on a sheet of wax paper. Lay the knot in the oil and work it out with two pins; then clean the chain as instructed below.

2.) Always apply make-up, perfumes, oils or colognes before you put on your jewelry.

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Most people buy their sterling silver pendants based on a gut reaction to the design. When I am exhibiting my work, a frequent comment is "I'll know it's the right piece if it grabs me."

Art is like that. People have a gut reaction to art, whether it's a painting, a piece of jewelry, a sculpture or a song. I think art is a spiritual thing, and since we essentially are spiritual beings, it's easy to identify on a very strong level with this manifestation.

I've felt personally offended by a bad movie, for instance. "How dare they insist I waste a perfectly good three hours for this nonsense?" Ask my husband; he'll tell you. It's the same thing with art; it has to communicate something, or what's the point?

I would take it one step further and say the communication has to be uplifting, not something that makes me want to go strangle someone (including the director, if it's an especially trying movie).

Jewelry is a very personal thing. A sterling silver pendant is worn close to the heart. Perhaps that's why so many people like to wear heart pendants- it makes them feel closer to the person who gifted it.

After all, art is a symbol of something real, or a concept. It can represent a person, an animal or something lofty like truth or spirituality. Many religions have symbols, such as the cross or the yin-yang symbol that reflect their ideas and history.

So how do you choose a beautiful sterling silver pendant? Well, the first thing to make sure of is that you feel a connection to the piece. Does it make you smile? Is there something about it that fascinates you? Perhaps it reminds you of a happy time or a beloved person or pet.

Listen to yourself, and go with what feels right. Years ago in my art show booth I heard a mother trying to talk her 9 year old daughter out of the necklace she'd carefully chosen. It made me groan- what a way to sabotage that child's ability to make up her own mind. I was surely witnessing a neurosis in the making.

These are the main things I would look for in choosing a sterling silver necklace:

• Is the necklace .925 (sterling) silver?

• Was it cast and polished without losing detail?

• Where was it made? (It's important for me to know child labor wasn't involved)

• Is it something you will love wearing/giving?

That's it- very simple. When the perfect sterling silver pendant presents itself, you'll know it. You just have to trust your instincts.

Merry Rosenfield is a well known sterling silver jewelry artist, specializing in dog and other animal themed jewelry. She creates a wide variety of unique pendants for the animal lover, and specializes in hard to find pets and unusual wildlife jewelry. Merry's love of sterling silver jewelry is manifested in her whimsical and unique collection of over a thousand designs.

Sterling silver jewelry is more affordable than platinum or gold. You can find top quality sterling crafted into a variety of styles-and it's not just affordable-it's beautiful as well! Sterling silver is a natural material with long lasting appeal, and looks great on its own, or when mixed with gemstones or beads.

Sterling silver is 92.5% silver mixed usually with copper which equals the remaining 7.5% of the composition. Silver is sold by weight and there is no such thing as purer silver or better quality silver. All silvers that are 92.5% are the same in quality.

The difference in price from one piece and another that weigh the same amount is the type of work done on it. Usually handmade pieces are more expensive than machine made pieces. They are also more exclusive, a machine made piece is made by the thousands but one handmade piece can never be the same as another.

When the piece includes a stone of some kind the price will also vary according to the price of the stone. When it is only sterling silver the difference in price will come from the way it was manufactured and the details it has. Silver is a very manageable metal and beautiful pieces can be made out of it. Usually a silver piece can be bought by its weight in silver plus a small percentage for labor.

When you buy sterling silver jewelry it is very shiny and smooth. People like that because it shines more than gold or platinum. With time it will begin to lose its shine and tarnish will appear. This is due to the metal alloy added to the silver. When the copper comes in contact with the air and sweat it tends to change color. Many people like to keep their jewelry like that because it gives it an antique look.

Silver must always be wiped with a polishing cloth, not a brush or an abrasive cleaner that will scratch the surface. The occasional use of special silver cleaners is acceptable, but these should not be used often to maintain your piece. These types of cleaners are abrasive, and the shine they leave comes from rubbing of the patina or top layer of silver on your piece.

When sterling silver jewelry is cleaned regularly with a polishing cloth and stored away from the sun and other jewelry that may scratch it; it will remain shiny for a very long time. Abrasive cleaners should only be used in case of an emergency or excessive tarnish.

Sterling silver jewelry must be stored in a cool, dry place in separate pouches. This will prevent them from scratching one another and from being scratched by other jewelry. Taking care of silver jewelry is easy and inexpensive. Proper care will keep them shiny and scratch free for many, many years.

Denise Sanger loves jewelry of all types and is the owner of ButterflyJewelryShop.com Denise is always looking for beautiful new silver jewelry pieces including sterling silver sand dollar jewelry to add to the company's unique jewelry catalog. Denise is located in Sunny North Florida and may be reached at 877-297-9050

A sterling silver pendant can be the perfect piece of jewelry: unique, versatile and classy. Aside from the distinguished characteristics of that metal itself, pendant necklaces in particular are the perfect form for displaying a design with a lot of meaning to the wearer. They provide a channel for communicating to the whole world what is dear to you, or who you feel you are.

Of course, personal preference being what it is, each of us must ultimately make our own decisions in matters of jewelry and otherwise. That said, in my (very humble) opinion, silver has always been a cut above gold. I know that the mere fact of price puts gold jewelry a notch higher when it comes to being impressive. But impressive can too often appear gaudy, and jewelry, for me, is more about looking perfect. I just adore the particular color and shine of silver, which has a peculiar moonlit grace that I cannot resist!

Of course, since it is a precious metal, it does fall into the category of impressively expensive ornamentation, for those of you who are concerned with that. I guarantee that a unique silver pendant can be found to fit your higher price ranges!

One important note when shopping is that it can come in greater or lesser degrees of purity and only the very best is known as 'sterling silver,' which means that 925 out of 1000 parts are pure while the other small percentage of additives are necessary to make the metal behave appropriately for shaping into jewelry. As a result you can be certain that you have the highest degree of purity and all the prestige that goes with it.

You should also keep in mind that tarnishing becomes more of a problem when the alloy is less pure. So by buying the finest, you will find that your pieces will stay bright longer and be easier to restore to brightness than a lesser alloy.

Don't forget the great versatility of the stuff, which can dress down better than gold. A silver chain adds class to the jeans and a blouse of casual daytime activities. Silver earrings add sparkle to the ponytail and t-shirt of daily life. And silver pendants, more than any other piece of jewelry, can transmit class to the wearer no matter the dress and activity.

Yet, it can be classy too, glittering and shining with the best of them! But rather than begging for attention like gold, you can adorn yourself with a piece that knows allure, that winks and flutters and flirts so coyly that the bedazzled admirers will wonder if she even knows how much admiration she is receiving. Ah, so much character that we can even refer to her in the feminine!

I propose that this most beautiful of precious metals, and particularly silver pendant necklaces, will have the greatest potential for unique expression and subtle flair. Why not try it out and see if you agree?

Laurel Newmaker prides herself on choosing the perfect pendant gifts for her family and very best friends. "I may be a little too interested in the subject," she says, "But discovering unique sterling silver pendants is one of my favorite hobbies."