There’s lots to like about silver jewelry. It’s reflective, bright, shiny, enduring, abundant, and relatively inexpensive when compared to other white metals. If you love jewelry, but don’t have the budget to afford your own taste in gold or platinum, silver jewelry is a way for you to invest in the designs, or designers, you love without having to make too many sacrifices. Silver jewelry has always been widely available, although it hasn’t always been easy to find in an upscale or fine jewelry store. Even though silver is an element on the periodic table, mined from the earth, not all jewelry purveyors consider silver a precious metal. However, shifting financial conditions have made silver alternatively more or less desirable as an investment, thanks to the increased use of silver in electronic devices. It is the aesthetic beauty, we arability, and affordability of silver that has put silver jewelry at the top of many consumers wish lists.
As you shop for silver jewelry, you may have noticed, and been confused by, the numerous different types of silver available. Not only are some jewelry items sold under designer brand names, it can also be sold with a manufacturer’s brand name, or even a country name or cultural reference, such as Mexican silver, Bali, Tibetan,, or “tribal” silver. Each of these types of silver have their own appeal, but you should be aware of a few important distinctions between them, as all silver jewelry is not created equal.
In the United States, the quality standard for silver is called Sterling silver, which is 92.5 percent pure silver, 7.5 percent copper, or other metals in trace amounts. This alloy offers strength, durability, and a high shine when polished. When buying silver jewelry, look for the quality hallmark somewhere on the piece that denotes the purity, such as .925, or similar. The vast majority of what you’ll buy at any retail jewelry store will be Sterling silver.
Other silver available from galleries, boutiques, or shops off the beaten path may offer silver jewelry with exotic names that sound intriguing, but may also be misleading. For example, nickel silver is not silver at all. There is no elemental silver contained in nickel silver. The term is simply a description of the color. In fact, it has been decades since monetary coins contained actual silver. Now, base metals are used, and make up the vast majority of all coins, with the exception of investment coins, which are typically sold with a certificate of authenticity,along with a serial number or other identifying mark. Jewelry crafted in countries such as Indonesia, Tibet, Nepal, and elsewhere is absolutely beautiful, unique, and usually entirely hand-crafted by local artisans, but be aware that the alloy may contain undesirable substances or harmful metals such as lead. You may find a hallmark on these items that shows .900, or 90 percent silver content, or you may find no purity hallmark at all.
At the other end of the spectrum, you may encounter a type of silver called “fine silver.” Fine silver is 99.99 percent pure, and is hallmarked as .999. This is often sold under a particular brand name with a trademark sign, so you will know it is authentic. Fine silver is rare, though, and because it is very soft, it tends to more easily scratch and dent, so it is not recommended for those who are rough on their jewelry. It does polish up to a lovely high shine, however, and when directly compared to Sterling silver, there is a noticeable color difference.
Finally there is an interesting and relatively new type of silver that has recently hit the market. Most commonly, it is sold under the brand name Argentium silver, although there are other brands. This type of silver has only existed since 1991, when a metallurgist and master silversmith by the name of Peter Johns introduced a new metal, germanium, to the silver alloy. this addition resulted in a silver that was about 7 times more tarnish-resistant than Sterling silver. The alloy also contains a greater amount of pure silver, either 93.5 or 96 percent, which is hallmarked as .935 or .960, respectively. Because this new alloy is trademarked, the Argentium brand is also marked with their logo, a winged unicorn, depicted below.
Argentium brand silver was developed specifically to bring to market a more tarnish-resistant metal, but it also possesses many properties which make working with this type of silver desirable for metalsmiths. Because the differences are more technical than visual, there has been an extensive marketing campaign behind educating the public as to the benefits of Argentium silver. One drawback is the price, which is significantly higher than the price of standard silver, and it is also harder to find. However, the single greatest drawback of purchasing silver jewelry is that it will eventually tarnish unless regularly cleaned, and silver manufacturers have attempted to either coat the surface of silver with an anti-tarnish substance, or to plate the silver with rhodium or other white metal, which also adds to the price. Argentium and other brands of this new silver alloy may be the answer for jewelry lovers who prefer a well-priced and low-maintenance white metal.
You’ll find many different types of silver out there, all beautiful in their own way. But if you care about quality, durability, purity, and manufacturing integrity, look for those hallmarks as you choose your pieces. While there has certainly been some counterfeit hallmarks, this is rare, and a reputable jeweler or retail outlet knows what to avoid. Now that you know some of the important differences between types of silver jewelry, keep your eyes open and shop with confidence. Sparkle on!
Laura