This guide will help you learn to identify quality in silver jewelry and accessories.

Sterling Silver

Pure Silver, also called fine silver, is relatively soft, very malleable, and easily scratched so it is commonly combined with other metals to produce a more resilient product. The most popular of these alloys is sterling silver, which consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Although any metal can make up the 7.5% non-silver portion of sterling, centuries of experimentation have shown copper to best improve the metal's hardness and durability without affecting its beautiful color.

The small amount of copper added to sterling has little effect on the metal's value. Instead the price of the silver item is affected by the labor involved in making the item, the skill of the craftsperson, and the intricacy of the design.

Identifying Quality Sterling Silver

All high quality silver items are stamped with a "Sterling Silver" or "925" mark. This mark identifies the precious metal content of the jewelry.

Silver Alloys

Because pure silver is so soft, it should only be used when malleability is required, such as in handcrafted jewelry featuring weaving and other intricate designs. Sterling Silver is most often used for jewelry and household accessories because of its combination of beauty and durability.

Acceptable quality marks for sterling silver include:

- Sterling

- Sterling Silver

- .925

Care

With proper care, your fine quality silver will last a lifetime. To minimize scratches and other damage, store your silver jewelry either in a cloth pouch or in a separate compartment in your jewelry box. Avoid exposing your silver to household chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or when swimming in chlorinated water, as these chemicals can damage silver.

Clean your Silver REGULARLY!

Care should also be taken to prevent silver tarnish build-up a dulling that naturally occurs when silver reacts with sulfur or hydrogen sulfide in the surrounding air. To clean your silver, use specific formulas to remove tarnish. You can find fine silver polishes, solutions, or cloths designed to remove tarnish. These are available at most hardware stores or specialty craft stores. Tarnish is most easily removed when it first becomes visible! So keep an eye out for it! Although wearing your silver often is the best way to prevent tarnish from building up, regular cleanings of all your silver items will prevent tarnish and keep your silver bright, sparkling, and beautiful.

By definition, sterling silver jewelry contains 92.5% of pure silver and 7.5% of copper or other alloy. It’s hallmark is .925 and will commonly be located on a bracelet or necklace clasp, the inside of a ring band or the backside of an earring. Like gold, sterling silver is a precious metal and can last for a lifetime with the proper care.

When you think about sterling silver jewelry, you may think about its coloration. A warm finish gives it an appearance that mimics white gold, but is much less expensive. Compared to gold, which is often as much as $30-40 per gram, sterling silver is much more reasonably priced and you will be getting a lot more flash for your cash. This makes sterling silver rings a very popular choice not only for casual wear, but also for wedding sets.

Because it contains copper, which will oxidize over time, sterling silver jewelry will require polishing in order to prevent it from taking on an antique appearance. In order to prevent this from happening, some designers have begun producing rhodium plated silver. For a piece of jewelry to be classified as rhodium plated, a certain amount of rhodium must be applied to the base metal’s surface. Rhodium is a metal that offers the same appearance as sterling silver, but is believed not to tarnish.

All types of sterling silver jewelry are popular, but sterling silver rings remain one of the top choices. Whether it’s because your hands are always visible or you simply believe that bolder is better, sterling silver rings will provide you with a wider band and overall bolder presence at a fantastic price. The fact that you get more bold for your buck is not exclusive of sterling silver rings, but rather in all sterling silver jewelry.

For more information on sterling silver jewelry and silver cz rings, visit Almost Diamonds at http://www.almostdiamonds.com.

A True Delight

Choosing the right wedding ring is a very important part of the wedding preparations. Wedding rings aren’t just ornaments, they hold a much deeper meaning. Besides the ‘beauty’ aspect of the wedding ring, one has to consider comfort as well. Since a person wears the wedding ring on a daily basis, it is essential to make sure that the wedding ring you purchase is comfortable enough.

One significant factor in choosing a wedding ring is the kind of metal. The days are gone when the choices were pretty much limited to yellow gold or diamond rings. With the passage of time, sterling silver wedding rings and bands have become incredibly popular. They are very compatible with the momentous occasion of a wedding. The reason why the popularity of sterling silver wedding rings is rising day by day is because they look modern and match any outfit.

Gone are the days when only diamond and platinum rings were considered to good enough for wedding rings and anything else was considered inferior. Although silver had been in use for a long time, mainly because of its aesthetic qualities, only recently has sterling silver been used much in wedding rings and bands. And, not surprisingly, they soon captured the market. These days, many couples choose wedding rings made of sterling silver.

The chief reasons for the growing popularity of the sterling silver wedding rings are their affordability and versatility. It is not too difficult to engrave and resize a sterling silver ring. This is because sterling silver is ductile and has a low melting point. This reflective metal is also easy to take care of. You can easily clean your ring using a soft cloth. Make sure you don’t exert too much force while cleaning, otherwise you might leave scratches. So take your time and carefully clean your ring. Many people use toothpaste to clean sterling silver jewelry but it is better to avoid using toothpaste as a cleaning agent since it might make your wedding ring or band look dull. Also, to make sure that your precious sterling silver wedding ring doesn’t tarnish, don’t expose it to any corrosive agents such as detergents, chemicals, etc.

If you are on a budget and looking for an elegant, stylish wedding ring for your beloved, then a sterling silver ring is the perfect choice. It is sturdy, long lasting, non-allergenic, light and, in short, an ideal metal for a wedding ring or band. It is a lot cheaper when compared to a diamond or a platinum ring, but it looks just as exquisite and delicate. So keep sterling silver wedding rings in mind when you go hunting for the perfect ring for your life partner. Sterling silver wedding rings and bands are undoubtedly an excellent choice.

Roy Dietelzieg had worked in the jewelry industry for years serving costumers from every background and writing his reflections on jewelry. Roy writes Sterling Silver Jewelry tips.

Sterling Silver Jewelry is it considered trendy compared to the other
fashion jewelry?

Once considered to be popular as an antique and a low cost accessory option.
Sterling Silver jewelry has become mainstream front and center.

Why is Sterling Silver gaining popularity as fashion Jewelry?

With the emergence and popularity of white metal jewelry like white gold and
platinum, Sterling Silver is once again getting a lot of attention from the fashion
world because of its versatility for accessorizing new fashion clothing lines, and
because it has a clean with modern look that rivals even yellow gold. Sterling
Silver jewelry is durable and with new silvers it is also virtually tarnish
resistant.

It’s not just jewelry, Sterling Silver has made a fashion impact on gift items such as
Sterling Silver Frames, keepsake boxes, money clips, bridal gifts and other items.
This has made Sterling Silver a must have unique gift idea.

More and More jewelry companies are now designing new fashion jewelry
for the sterling silver market and trends are showing that items like Sterling
Silver Bracelets are hot.

The Economic change may have something to do with the change in popularity or at
least started the change but after observing internet search trend reports Sterling
Silver is for now here to stay and holding its ground against other precious metals.

The recent Jewelry Fashion trend for Sterling Silvers popularity has caused
an increase in price over the past year or so but the best thing about sterling silver
is that it's still a very affordable and fashionable option.

This article was written by: Toni Rossi. Spending many years in the manufacturing and caring of Sterling Silver, my experience insures confidence and quality in Unique Inspirational Gift Ideas, our NEW Website list only high quality sterling silver jewelry and gifts. Visit our website today at: http://www.inspirationalsterling.com