Yellow silver jewelry can be a great alternative to gold jewelry, because they look very similar in appearance. Silver is considered a hypoallergenic metal, and it also costs an order of magnitude cheaper. From this metal, many objects of various shapes and colors are produced. A gift in yellow-white silver can look very beautiful and neat, which no doubt will appeal to everyone.
Precious metals
Now in the open sale and at budget prices, products from a wide variety of materials are available, from ceramics to amber. Gold is a noble metal from which various accessories have long been made. Only this metal is not at all the absolute leader in the jewelry industry. In each store you can find gold earrings, platinum cufflinks, bronze brooches, silver bracelets.
Silver is especially appreciated for its low cost, but few people know that it is not only steel in color, but also yellow, white, gold and even pink. And if most of these colors are achieved by spraying, then the yellow-gold color of silver is obtained by oxidation. So, such a product for a long time does not lose its presentation.
History
Until the middle of the second millennium AD, silver was valued much more than gold in Egypt, because gold was much more common in the number of nuggets mined. Only later, when the ratio of precious metals around the world became known, silver in value was inferior to gold.
Since the mid-thirteenth century in Europe, silver began to be used for the manufacture of dishes and cutlery, coins, jewelry for men and women. Since this metal has antiseptic properties, alchemists often used it for their work, and even jewelers created charms and amulets from silver for children and women.
At that time, there were no own sources in Russia where silver could be mined, so there was an active trade in precious metals. In particular, this happened in Nizhny Novgorod, as one of the most important shopping centers that accept merchants from all over Europe.
In the Middle Ages, there was a sharp rise in all areas, including technology, culture, science. Therefore, new methods of processing metals, their mining, and the creation of jewelry and appliances appeared. Silver was appreciated for its flexibility in processing, its softness and lightness when creating a form. In addition, even at home, silver can be cleaned with improvised means, so it quickly gained popularity for creating products such as home decoration, tools, dishes and cutlery.
A budget option
Indeed, silver costs much less than a gold fellow. The point is not only that gold is several times less, but also that silver easily loses its beautiful appearance with frequent contact with skin: blackness appears, which must be cleaned to a shine.
But despite this, silverware is a good choice for those who want to get a beautiful or designer jewelry with low cost. And the exclusivity of silver can be a pleasant bonus to buy. This is exactly the metal that can be perfectly disguised as gold and at the same time it will maintain a low cost.
Golden color
In retail stores you can often find silver jewelry with gold plating, which only slightly increases the cost of the product, but at the same time does not give it durability.
Few people know about the existence of yellow silver without spraying. This characteristic color is obtained due to the addition of copper, which, incidentally, additionally protects this precious metal from oxidation. An experiment is often conducted at school chemistry lessons: a yellow salt precipitate is isolated from silver nitrate. Jewelry made of this precious metal is given a golden color by adding other elements such as copper. For example, zinc or silicon.
Production technology
Old and antique silverware by itself, over time, acquire a golden hue, but new yellow silver jewelry can also be purchased. They are produced by adding various cheap metals. High-grade silver comes in the 999th, 960th and 925th samples, it is very light in color and blackens easily over time. The 875th test still retains a light color, but lower samples, such as the 830th and 800th, seem a little yellowish. Base silver quickly takes on a golden hue over time. Silver below the 800th test looks yellow.
There is silver and a red tint, but it is already difficult to call it silver. This is a precious metal of the 500th sample and below, it becomes so because of the content of too much copper. Sometimes silver is plated with rhodium, a noble metal of the platinum group. True, rhodium is quickly erased from the surface, which is why products from such an alloy still turn black.
The cost of jewelry
Similar products of low sample in jewelry stores are inexpensive. But because of such poor quality, such an alloy has low demand. Therefore, on the shelves most often you can find just gilded silver. The cost of jewelry starts from 50 rubles and above, depending on weight and authorship. Copyrighted products, as a rule, are much more expensive than nameless ones, but often justify the price with uniqueness and beauty.
What are the items made of silver in gold color?
“Golden” silver is often used to create jewelry. It can be used both with other precious metals, and in itself:
- designer jewelry set with gilded silver inlays;
- rings with copper inserts;
- the core of the flower is made using gilding;
- the addition of copper to the silver alloy gives unusual shades;
- ring in a combination of different metals;
- the jewelry is made of silver with the addition of other metals to change color.
The use of materials of different colors is often used in the jewelry industry.
As you can see from the photographs, products from yellow silver salts come out the most diverse in beauty and quality of performance. You can choose jewelry from such an alloy both for everyday wear and for a gala evening.