Red Nymph Jewelry
Sterling silver is almost entirely made of pure silver, and for durability, a small amount of another metal is added. But what is the difference between sterling silver and pure silver?
Appearance
Although sterling silver is mixed with other metals, it looks like shiny silver, which is part of why copper is the most popular metal mixed with silver. Copper gives the alloy maximum durability without affecting its stunning tone. If you are worried that sterling silver will not retain the same luster and color as sterling silver, you can put your fears aside – even for a well-trained jeweler, it’s not easy to tell the two metals apart by appearance alone.
Strength
Pure silver is a soft, malleable metal – its strength and robustness have never been known. This quality makes it a very impractical choice for any functional item – coins, table wear and jewelry need to hold their shapes to be useful.
Sterling silver has all the advantages of silver, but there are no disadvantages. Sterling silver retains its shape and has been made into a wide variety of things, from complex plates to diamond crowns. It allows the use of silver, not just appreciation.
Price
Pure silver is more expensive than sterling silver, which means that to design jewelry, craftsmen must invest more in raw materials. This requirement has greatly increased the price of the final product, making silver a less practical option in commercial jewelry manufacturing.
In addition, sterling silver is a moderately priced metal. When combined with its increased strength, this feature makes it an excellent choice for a wide range of applications.
Maintenance
Discoloration is a chemical reaction that causes the metal to darken and darken. Sulfur exposed to air and water forms a dull coating on the metal surface, resulting in loss of brightness and gloss.
Like pure gold, sterling silver is not a very active metal. It does not react with oxygen or water, so it does not easily discolor. Pure silver is more sensitive to air and water than sterling silver, so it is prone to discoloration. Although sterling silver is more powerful than pure silver, it needs more care to maintain its original state.
If your beautiful sterling silver starts to show signs of discoloration, don’t worry, sterling silver is easy to clean!
The addition of these other metals makes sterling silver significantly stronger and more durable. This allows it to be used to make a number of other things including: Jewelry，Silverware，Plates，Platters，Coffee Sets，Silver plated items.
Notice that last use of silver plated items. Whenever you see something advertised as “silver plated” it most often means that the piece itself is made of another metal, and there’s simply a thin layer of sterling silver “plated” on top of the item.
Also, notice that the list of uses for sterling silver is a long longer than the one for fine silver. That’s because the added durability that sterling silver has means it won’t be damaged or dented by everyday use and wear and tear like fine silver is.
Sterling silver is more easily tarnished than pure silver. Silver by itself can become tarnished from being exposed to the air as we already went over. With sterling silver, however, it’s easier to tarnish because of the alloy metals within sterling silver.
Copper, nickel, and zinc are easily tarnished. When you combine those with another metal that can tarnish, like silver, the tarnishing process is faster and happens more easily.
There are a few benefits to sterling silver that might push you to purchase sterling silver items over fine silver.
The first most obvious would be the cost. Fine silver has a higher purity percentage of silver, which will make it more expensive compared to the less pure sterling silver. However, sterling silver still looks just as good as fine silver, which means you can get affordable, timeless pieces for a lower price.
There’s also the durability factor. Sterling silver is much more durable compared to fine silver because of the added metal alloys. This can help your piece last and stay looking the best it possibly can for longer.
Sterling silver is easier to shape than the soft and malleable fine silver, so you’ll be able to find more options made of sterling silver vs silver.