Ear cuff of .925 sterling silver with wave design
.925 Sterling Silver - Material Guide
Sterling Silver is widely used for producing Earrings but less commonly used for Piercing Jewelry.
In this Material Guide we find out why and discuss more relevant topics regarding .925 Sterling Silver Jewelry.
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Introduction to Sterling Silver
Sterling Silver is an alloy of Silver containing 92.5% pure Silver. The remaining 7.5% consist of other metals, which usually is copper. Pure Silver is quite soft, so copper is added to increase the strength and hardness of the Silver.
For as long as we remember, Silver is used to producing Jewelry. Contrary to White Gold, Silver is more affordable while yet the color is somewhat alike. As Silver is prone to tarnishing, it's not commonly used for the production of Body Jewelry. For the true fans of Silver, we do have some Piercings in our collection made of Silver. However, when looking for Earrings, you will find a lot more choice.
Pros and Cons
Sterling Silver Explained
The alloy Sterling Silver originated in Europe and became commercially used starting around the 12th century. As mentioned before, Sterling Silver is 92.5% pure Silver. While the remaining part mainly consists of copper, other elements are used in the alloy to reduce tarnishing of the metal. Some examples are germanium, zinc and platinum.
Sterling Silver Jewelry is hallmarked with the famous 925 stamps, indicating its purity. Please note that Silver Jewelry under 1 gram is not always stamped. A significant downside of Silver is the fact that it tarnishes pretty quickly due to the copper in the alloy. This results in the Silver turning green or black. Silver Jewelry requires regular maintenance with special cleaning products to keep its lovely shine and bright color.
Silver itself is soft and while the additional metals such as copper increase its hardness, Silver remains vulnerable to scratches. Altogether, these aspects make Silver less suitable to be used for Body Jewelry. Dirt and bacteria can nest in the scrapes, clearly not ideal for Piercing Jewelry. While you can take out Silver Earrings before taking a shower or swim, this is not ideal for Body Jewelry in general.
For the die-hard Silver fans, we do have some pieces of Piercing Jewelry in our assortment. Just bear in mind the downsides and make sure to remove or replace the Jewelry when taking a swim or showering.
"Make sure to remove any Silver Jewelry before taking a swim or showering."
Sterling Silver Earring Jewelry on the other hand, are immensely popular. As the most common cause of tarnishing is humidity in the air, we recommend storing your Silver Jewelry somewhere dry, cool and dark. When you put your Silver Earrings away for a longer time, we suggest doing so in an air-tight plastic bag.
Maintenance Instructions
Silver Jewelry is beautiful, and with proper maintenance, you will be able to keep it that way.
When you finished wearing your Silver Jewelry, wipe it clean with a soft cloth before storing it. When you see any signs of tarnishing, take a cup of warm water and add a little dishwashing soap. Handwash or get a soft toothbrush to clean the Jewelry. Wipe it down and allow it to dry before storing it again.
Don't expose your Silver Jewelry to chemicals like alcohol or bleach, as this may harm any coating applied to the Silver. Using chemicals often results in dull Jewelry over time.
Other Material Guides
With Material Guides like this one, we want to help you make informed decisions when purchasing one of our Piercings online. We have written a Guide for most of the materials you will find in our webshop.
If you want to learn more about the differences between the materials used for Piercing Jewelry, read a bit more by browsing through all of our Material Guides. Our customer service can also assist you if you have any questions left before deciding what material best fits your needs.
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