For many years, silver was considered the best metal for making coins, but when humanity began to use paper for making money, it gained similar popularity already in jewelry. Today silver is used in medicine and cosmetology, dishes, decor and all kinds of jewelry are made from it, but not in its pure form. Most often used in jewelry is 925 sterling silver. What is a test, how does this alloy differ from others and why is it called so described below.
Name history
Pure silver is very ductile and easy to deform, so alloy is more suitable for making coins.
The alloy from Germany was distinguished by its amazing strength and radiance, therefore it was called easterling silver in England, which means "eastern silver". Over time, the name was shortened to sterling silver, and later equated to the reference alloy for coins in England. It was believed that 240 sterling silver coins should weigh exactly one pound. From that moment, the history of the modern British pound began.
Silver fineness
A sample of silver, like gold, determines the amount of precious metal in the alloy. Auxiliary metals give alloys additional strength, wear resistance, gloss, shade and many other characteristics. A sample of sterling silver can only be 925. This means that in 1 kg of alloy there is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% ligature. The auxiliary metal today is exclusively copper.
In order to obtain a uniform compound of silver and copper, the metals are heated to 893 ° C.
Product Care
Most often, sterling silver is used to make jewelry, decor items and cutlery. Despite the fact that the alloy is very wear-resistant, products from it should be protected from exposure to chemicals and ultraviolet radiation. Fabric bags retain silver very well.
It is recommended to clean sterling silver with soapy water or special napkins for jewelry. Darkening can be removed with tooth powder, a solution of hydrogen peroxide or ammonia.
To provide products with a shine for many years, metal can be coated with rhodium. Rhodium today is very popular in jewelry. To give products, on the contrary, an aged look, the coating with oxidized silver will help.
Physical properties of metal
Today, sterling silver is in great demand among jewelers for many reasons. This metal is primarily distinguished by special reflective properties. It was from silver that the first mirrors were made.
Also, the metal conducts heat well, so it never causes discomfort when worn - products from it always have the owner's body temperature and quickly heat up after the street.
It is also important that silver is resistant to corrosion and slowly oxidizes. Due to the plasticity of this metal, it is easy to work with it, even performing very small patterns.
Alloy demand
The popularity of sterling silver is growing every year, and, according to experts, this process will not stop. The fact is that sellers always try to earn as much as possible on popular goods, and silver reserves are reduced on the planet.
If you want to buy a product from such an alloy, you should prepare for the fact that prices for it can differ dozens of times at different points of sale. So, in a pawnshop for 1 g of sterling silver they can ask for only 20-50 rubles, and when you buy a new product in a jewelry store, at least 500 rubles.
Chinese silver
Despite the fact that the technology for producing the alloy is identical in all countries of the world, recently gaining popularity from China products often turn out to be of poor quality. The thing is that unscrupulous sellers often give out ordinary jewelry for pure 925 sterling silver (what it is written above). There are situations when only part of the jewelry is made of the claimed alloy, while the seller is silent about the nuances. Since, when buying products via the Internet, it is impossible to independently verify their quality and verify authenticity until the moment of receipt, you should be careful not to complete transactions with sellers with low ratings and bad reviews.
In fact, according to statistics, approximately 80% of silver from China is fully consistent with the declared quality, and the low price is due to cheap labor and the absence of the need to pay a large number of employees and pay for rental premises. Sometimes the difference in price, when compared with domestic jewelry stores, can reach up to 200 (!) Rubles per 1 gram, so most buyers are still ready to wait for delivery and take risks. The guarantee of obtaining a quality product here is only the responsibility of the seller, which is confirmed by numerous positive reviews, high ratings and long working hours.