Silver

Silver is the cheapest of the precious metals and as it is fairly soft and malleable and easily damaged we recommend silver to only be used in jewellery pieces such as bracelets which aren’t worn on a daily basis.

Purity

Pure silver, also known as fine silver is fairly soft, malleable and easily damaged. It is for this reason it is commonly combined with other metals to produce a more durable product. The most popular of these alloys is sterling silver, which are 92.5 parts silver and 7.5 parts copper.

Although any metal can be used instead of copper, centuries of experimentation and research has found that copper is the best metal for improving the metal’s hardness and durability without affecting its beautiful colour.

The amount of copper added to sterling silver has very little effect on the value of it. The price of a silver item is affected more by the labour involved in making it, the skill of the craftsman and the intricacy of the design.

Care

With proper care, a fine quality of silver will last a lifetime. To reduce scratching and other damage, we recommend you store your silver jewellery in either a cloth pouch or in a separate compartment in a jewellery box. Avoid exposing your silver to household chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or swimming in chlorinated water, as these chemicals can damage silver.

Care should also be taken to prevent your silver from tarnish build up, a dulling that occurs naturally when silver reacts with Sulphur or Hydrogen Sulphide in the ambient air. To clean your silver, use polishes specifically to remove tarnish. You can find fine silver polishes; solutions or cloths appropriate to remove tarnish at most hardware stores, jewellers or supermarkets. Tarnish is most easily removed when it first becomes visible.

Wearing your silver jewellery is often regarded as the best way to prevent tarnish from building up, however regular cleaning of all your silver items will prevent tarnish and keep your silver bright and sparkling.