|
Why Alloy Silver with Other Metals?
Silver is usually alloyed with copper to enhance its
durability and prevent damage to the metal. It is relatively soft, very
malleable, and easily damaged so it is commonly combined with other
metals to produce a more durable product. The most popular of these
alloys is sterling silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5
percent copper. Although any metal can make up the 7.5 percent
non-silver portion of sterling, centuries of experimentation have shown
copper to be its best companion, improving the metal's hardness and
durability without affecting its beautiful color. The small amount of
copper added to sterling has very 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.
Sterling Silver is also a Very Common and Popular Alloy
Sterling silver is an alloy of 925 parts of pure silver with 75 parts of
pure copper - this relatively small (7.5%) addition of copper gives
silver, which is very soft and malleable in the pure or `fine' state, a
hardness and rigidity which allows it to resist wear and deformation in
functional items such as hollow-ware and jewelry. Sterling is the alloy
most commonly used in jewelry making and silversmithing. It was adopted
as a standard alloy in England in the 12th century when King Henry II
imported refiners from an area of Germany known as the Easterling. The
product was made of a consistent quality and came into usage as currency
by 1300 when it was known as Easterling silver.
What is Sterling
Silver?
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5%
pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The
sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal
fineness of 925. 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. High-end Silver jewelry is often...
Read more...
Properties of Silver
Silver can be found pure, but is usually mixed with
small amounts of gold, arsenic, and antimony. A natural
alloy of gold and silver is known as Electrum, and is
usually classified as a variety of gold. Silver is a
very resistant mineral. It does not dissolve in most
solutions..
Read more...
Origins of Silver
The area of Anatolia (modern Turkey) is considered the first major
source of mined silver, having provided the resource to craftsman
throughout Asia Minor. Silver from the Anatolian region largely served
as the source of silver for the Western cultures flourishing in the Near
East, Crete, and Greece. Silver craftsmanship was centered largely in
Asia Minor and Greek Islands...
Read more...
History of Silver
Silver has always been held in high esteem and displayed
as a status symbol since it was mined approx. 4,000 BC
in Asia Minor. In the earliest Egyptian records, it was
considered more precious than gold. Interestingly, with
all of silver's magical power...
Read more...
Price of Silver
Silver, like other precious metals, may be used as an
investment. For more than four thousand years, silver
has been regarded as a form of money and store of value.
However, since the end of the silver standard, silver
has lost its role as legal tender in the United
States...
Read more...
The Healing Power of
Silver
In general, Silver is believed to benefit circulation,
help lungs and throat, and detoxify the blood, to aid in
the treatment of degenerative brain diseases, balancing
of hormones and chemicals and improvement of nerve
impulse transmission. They also use it...
Read more...
Myths about Silver
Legends of Jewels, Quartz
Mythology, Myths about crystals and myths about jewelry;
Some of those ancient myths and legends have come down
intact through the centuries. Others have evolved and
mutated as result of the input of other cultures...
Read more...
Facts about Silver
Silver can be hammered into sheets so thin that it would
take 100,000 of them to stack an inch high. It can be
drawn into a wire finer than a human hair. It is this
ductility (or ability to be formed) that makes silver
the wonderful art form that it is...
Read more...
Back to 'All About
Silver' Summary
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5%
pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper.
Sterling silver is the standard for charming beautiful
white cool luster of silver and is the standard for high
quality silver jewelry. The beautiful white metal of
silver has had an illustrious history, at times being
more highly valued than gold. Long used as a medium of
exchange...
Read more...
|
Search
Jewelry
