Some helpful advice on silver: what does the number 925, how to clean the jewelry, allergies.
Silver has legions of enthusiasts: not only because jewelry made from this metal costs on average less than gold, although the price has skyrocketed in recent months. But beware: not all the silver is all silver.
Sterling Silver. There is silver and silver. Usually jewelry is not a pure metal, because silver is too soft to create jewelry that do not warp. To make it more robust, silver is melted usually together with small copper parts. Sterling Silver is a pure silver mix approximately 92.5% and 7.5% of other alloys. The number that is often imprinted, ie 925, is in fact referring to the percentage of pure metal used, 925 parts in 1000. There are countries where only the 925 silver can be labeled as pure silver, as Usa. But in other Member tolerance it is greater. In Italy, for example, it has also admitted the silver marked 800.
Features. Silver is used by more into jewelry because is the most white metal when is as pure. Not only: it also has the highest thermal conductivity. It’s metal heated more easily than the other. Careful, however: it is also the metal that has the highest electrical conductivity, more than copper. It is not true that silver in contact with the air becomes dark. Silver is stable in pure air and pure water. Darkens, instead, when it is in contact with ozone, hydrogen sulfide, or air containing traces of sulfur compounds.
Matter of skin. Silver is nice to see, both in the glossy version and in the satin, but some prefer it with the signs of oxyde which lend an air longer lived. The silver or other metals that are added in the alloy, however, can cause allergies for sensitive skin: inflammation, blackening.
Plated or solid silver. In case you want to figure out if your jewelry is silver plated or solid, try to examine the joints or the wear areas. If you notice a different color of the metal (but not oxidation), this means that the jewelry is silver plated.
How to clean silver jewelry. Silver is a soft and delicate metal, so you have to wash it gently. A cleaning can be performed easily with a soft toothbrush and toothpaste very little, provided that it is not of those brighteners or gel. In short, it takes toothpaste less aggressive as possible. Just rub gently and rinse immediately the jewel. An alternative is to use baking soda powder, made like pasta after adding few drops of water. Also in this case the risk is to eliminate too silver, so you have to gently clean and rinse immediately.
