About Sterling Silver

Silver is a remarkable and exceptional metal. It is the most reflective of all metals and makes fabulous jewellery.

Silver has many uses other than jewellery, such as electronics, aviation, photographics, medicine, power generation, space travel, coins and many others.

Silver has been used as a metal for personal adornment down through the ages.

Silver has been used to make currency around the world from the earliest times. Some countries still produce commemorative coins in silver, whereas Mexico is the only country currently using silver in it's circulating coinage.

Pure silver is usually considered too soft for jewellery purposes so it is alloyed with small quantities of copper.

Sterling Silver is considered the standard for silver jewellery and has been used since the 14th century. Sterling Silver (STG SIL or 925) is made up of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper.

The small percentage of copper hardens the silver sufficiently to make it suitable for jewellery, watches, cutlery, bowls and picture frames etc.

Silver has the Atomic number of 47 and Symbol of Ag. It has a melting point of 961.93 c

Care of Sterling Silver

Sterling silver, like other precious metals, can oxidise with time. But properly maintained silver jewellery improves with age and develops a lush patina. Treat your silver well, care for it properly and it will reward you with a long life and a lustrous look.

• Clean your silver jewellery with a mild soap and water solution, allowing the water to bead up, and then patting dry with a soft cloth. For more stubborn dirt, use a cleaner designed for silver use.
• Store your silver in a cool, dry place, preferably in a tarnish-preventive bag or wrapped in a soft piece of felt or cloth.
• Store pieces individually so that they don't knock together and scratch.
• Do not rub silver with anything other than a polishing cloth. Tissue paper or paper towels can cause scratches because of the fibres in these products.
• Make sure your silver is not exposed to air and light during storage - this can cause silver to tarnish.
• Don't wear sterling silver in chlorinated water or when working with household chemicals.

To remove the tarnish the simple use of a special Silver Dip or rubbing with a Silver Cloth is all that is required to renew the brilliance and shine. You can purchase a Silver Care Product in any of our stores.