Silver has been used since ancient times, but has not survived as well as ancient gold because it tarnished and decomposes. There have been times, however, when silver was “in”; we are going through such a vogue today.

Silver is the commonest of the precious metals. Fine silver is pure silver, which is seldom used for jewelry because it is too soft. Sterling silver is 925 parts silver to 75 of copper, the alloy most often used. Silver weighs about half as much as gold, has greater flexibility, but is not as malleable, it has always been less expensive as well. A comparable piece of gold jewelry might cost four or five times that of a piece of sterling silver jewelry.

The current fashion trend toward black clothing has made silver jewelry more popular than ever. Silver likes to be worn; it stays cleaner & shinier through movement and friction. So sterling silver is a perfect accessory for today’s fast paced lifestyles. Much like gold, sterling silver needs to be cleaned.

And now, knowing about care and cleaning of your Sterling Silver Jewelry

1.) For daily cleaning it is recommended to use a simple jewelry polishing cloth that is impregnated with special jewelry cleaner. These are widely available and are very easy to use. Store your cloth in a plastic zip-lock bag, and keeping your jewelry drawer or armoire. It is a good idea to have one cleaning cloth for gold and one for silver.

2.) For a slightly more “in-depth” cleaning you may want to use a liquid jewelry cleaner.

3.) For cleaning badly tarnished silver, here’s a neat little trick

A.) Cover the inside bottom of a heat-proof glass dish on bowl with a piece of aluminum foil, shiny side up.
B.) Place the tarnished silver in the bottom of the dish, contacting the aluminum foil.
C.) Add 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda, and then slowly pour boiling water to cover the piece. The tarnish will gradually collect on the aluminum foil.
D.) Remove your silver, rinse thoroughly, and polish.

Silver is one of the finest metals that can be used in jewelry. The purest silver, which is called fine silver, is 999/1000 pure. However, when it comes to silver jewelry, purity is not a good thing. Pure silver is too soft to be used in jewelry. It needs to be mixed with other metals in order to create alloys which are considered more durable.

The most commonly used silver alloy in jewelry is Sterling silver. This consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. When these two elements are combined, these create a mixture that is durable enough for everyday use and at the same time, maintains the desired shine. In some cases, rhodium is incorporated in silver to provide a tarnish-resistant finish.

Aside from Sterling silver, there are other jewelries that are composed of silver and other metals. These silver jewelries include silver 800, an 80/20 mix of silver and other metals. There are also silver-plated jewelries. However, these are not good long-term investments because the silver wears off after some time. This is also true of nickel silver jewelry. This type does not actually contain silver; it is a combination of several other metals.

No matter what type of silver is used in silver jewelry, it is important to take care of it since it has the tendency to scratch and tarnish after a period of time. Although silver can make a fine piece of jewelry, silver requires high maintenance compared to gold.