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What Exactly Is Silver Jewelry?

Components of Silver Jewelry:

Silver, the chemical symbol Ag on the periodic table, is a soft durable precious metal with a brilliant shiny white luster. Pure silver has the highest thermal conductivity of metals. Since silver is a ductile metal and easily manipulated, by itself would not be a viable construct of silver jewelry. However, by mixing silver with sturdier metals, you get .925 sterling silver jewelry, silver plating jewelry, alpaca silver jewelry and silver tone jewelry. Typically, silver jewelry is ‘hallmarked’ to indicate the production company, date and/or location of the manufacturer, and to show the purity of the silver used. Silver is often used to create magnificent silver jewelry like silver pendants, silver rings, silver earrings, silver men’s jewelry, and more.

History of Silver Jewelry:

Different kinds of silver were used in various cultures as a form of currency. Silver, as a gold-silver alloy (electrum), was first coined and used as money by the Lydians in 700BC. At a later date, pure silver was used as coinage. A guild organization of goldsmiths and silversmiths was created to fine-tune the art of silver jewelry and armor crafting. Silversmiths do not work with silver metal when it is red-hot like blacksmiths, but room temperature where they mold the silver with careful hammer blows to make silver jewelry and gold jewelry. There are a variety of hammers they use as well ask stakes and other simple crafting tools. Silversmiths work with other metals to create more durable pieces of silver jewelry; metals such as steel, brass, gold and copper. Silver was even used in clothing due to the fact that bacteria and fungi could not grow on clothing with silver incorporated into it.

Kinds of Silver Jewelry

Pure Silver Jewelry – Like mentioned previously, pure silver is simply too malleable to be used in jewelry. The silver jewelry would be ‘pure’ but it would break easily. Pure silver is a far cry from the metal gallium that will quite literally melt in your hand.
Sterling Silver Jewelry – The definition of sterling silver was first conceived during 1275 in a statue of Edward I. The statue specified that 12 ounces of silver coinage ought to have 17 ¾ pennyweights of alloy and 11 ounces 2 ¼ pennyweights of silver. Sterling silver jewelry is 92.5% silver and the remaining 7.5% is copper. It’s difficult to pinpoint at what date sterling silver was first used, but the general census is that it was first used in continental Europe in the early 12th century of what’s now Northern Germany. Sterling Silver was used for currency in the United States from 1892 up until 1965. From 1870 until 1920, silver jewelry was at its peak popularity during the silver craze. It’s understood that the Anglo-Saxons first began to investigate the composition of sterling silver before it became a minted coin in Europe. Silver pendants and silver rings were popular ways to display a person’s wealth and title.
Alpaca Silver Jewelry – Alpaca is an alloy of iron, nickel, and zinc with characteristics similar to stainless steel. It does not rust nor tarnish and it is both bright and shiny.
Silvertone or Silver tone Jewelry – Silvertone jewelry, not to be confused with sterling silver jewelry or silver plating jewelry, is a metal composite that contains less than 5% silver. Silver tone can be made from various other metals. To verify silver tone jewelry check for a hallmark stamp, the jewelry should be free of any kind of marking.