Gem
World Jewellers
Facts and figures about Silver.
Qualities of Silver:
Slightly harder than gold in its
pure form, and in most countries is sold in a more pure
condition than gold, normally 925 parts in 1000 of silver
jewellery is silver, although in some countries 800 parts is
normal. Because the resultant alloy is more pure than gold -
and it is the alloying which gives both gold and silver
additional strength, items made from silver are softer than
those made from gold.
For the craftsman it is somewhat harder to work than gold, but
not being so expensive it is more practical to produce large
beautiful items. When new the metal will take a brilliant
polish, which with normal wear slowly ages to a rich sheen.
Compared to chrome plate and steel, silver looks slightly
yellow.
Unfortunately silver reacts with sulphur in the air, so it
slowly turns black. The best way to stop silver from
tarnishing is to use it! Every time it is worn, the tarnish is
rubbed off. Also checkout our advice on caring for jewellery.
Note that 800 silver can now be legally sold in the UK as
silver. It looks almost identical to Sterling silver. I have
no experience of this quality, but suspect that it may be more
prone to tarnishing.
For further information on silver standards consult the page
on hallmarking.
Silver jewellery is often a great buy, and may be better value
than costume jewellery, looking better when new and having a
longer life.
Gold on Silver:
Sometimes silver is electro-plated
with gold. This gives the appearance of gold with the economy
of silver. Like any gold-plated item the plating will
eventually wear away, so make sure anything you buy has a good
thick layer of gold, else you'll soon own a simple silver
piece! Personally I have to say I don't like gold on silver.
The problem is that if any repair is needed, or a ring needs
resizing, the plating will always be damaged, and the cost of
having the item re-plated can be considerable. So I think
you're better off sticking with simple un-plated silver, after
all it's a lovely metal in its own right.
Other uses for silver:
Most of the world's silver is used
in photography... again and again, because it keeps getting
recycled. There is no silver in a colour photo, just dye, so
after development all the silver can be recovered and used
again. Incidentally you may have learnt that it's safe to view
the sun (during partial eclipses) by looking through dark
negatives. Actually it's the silver which absorbs the harmful
radiation. Therefore this only works with black and white
negatives, and you must be sure these do contain silver. Most
modern processing even of black and white negatives uses dyes
rather than the silver to produce the black, such negatives
are dangerous to use as filters and will lead to eye damage.
Silver is also used in industrial electric switchgear. Another
use is the silver oxide in watch batteries.
Comparing Gold & Silver:
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Silver is more economical than gold.
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Craftsmen often produce more exciting designs in silver.
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Gold will wear better than silver.
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Gold tarnishes less than silver.
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White gold and silver are almost exactly the same colour.
16 Seamoor Road, Westbourne, Bournemouth, Dorset, England, BH4 9AR.
Tel: 01202 761764 Fax: 01202 751481