| -- End Ad Box ---> | | | | It certainly isn’t pure, but sterling silver is mixed |
| What the Heck Does "Sterling" Mean? | | | | to this exact ratio for some very good reasons. Have |
| We hear and see sterling silver this and | | | | you ever seen pure silver after a few years in the |
| sterling silver that almost every day, yet many | | | | open air? If not, take a look at your |
| shoppers do not understand what it really means. | | | | grandmother’s silver spoon collection. Silver |
| Does sterling mean pure? Does sterling | | | | tends to oxidize (tarnish) quickly, leaving it a yucky |
| silver jewelry come from a certain part of the world? | | | | brown color. The 7.5% copper or other metals used to |
| Is sterling better or worse — or the same | | | | make sterling silver slow down the tarnishing process. |
| — as pure silver? And what does that stamp | | | | Secondly, pure silver is a very soft metal. It can bend |
| on the back of my necklace mean when it says | | | | or break easily. Adding another, more durable, metal to |
| .925? | | | | the mix ensures that your silver jewelry will last a lot |
| By definition and international agreement sterling | | | | longer, and look a lot nicer down the road. So really, |
| silver is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% some other | | | | sterling silver — although not pure — is |
| material — usually copper. The 92.5% is why | | | | usually the better option when choosing jewelry. |
| jewelry is often stamped with the numbers 925 or | | | | And last but not least, adding another metal — |
| .925. | | | | and thus making the silver more durable — |
| Why Mix Copper with Pure Silver? | | | | makes the substance easier for metal-smiths, jewelers |
| Now you might think, oh, well that means sterling | | | | and craftsmen to handle and manipulate into those |
| silver is not as good as pure silver. Well, yes and no. | | | | intricate rings, pendants and necklaces we so adore. |