All About Silver Alloys

Silver is one of the most beloved metals around the globe, in some countries it is revered even more than gold. Skillful craftsmen make of silver not only all kinds of jewelry, but also cutlery, dishes, and other useful things. Boxes made of this metal are equally popular.

Silver is most in demand among jewelry makers; they create earrings, rings and bracelets from it, complementing them with precious stones. Despite the fact that this metal is quite affordable, it was chosen and is chosen by many royal people.

Silver is a fairly ductile, heavy, but very soft metal. It has good electrical and thermal conductivity, due to which it is very often used for industrial purposes.

Silver is not a bioelement, but scientists have proved that metal has antibacterial properties. Some people think that if you throw a clean silver coin into the water, the latter will be cleansed of germs. But this does not mean at all that one should constantly use water and products “purified” in this way. The accumulation of metal in the body is fraught with its negative consequences and serious diseases. The metal content in drinking water can be very dangerous.

It is believed that silver jewelry is expensive, and therefore buyers often give preference to alloys of silver with other metals. But it is not so. Pure metal in its pure form will not please with its practical properties and softness, which is why experts often mix copper, titanium or platinum with it.

Professionals have noticed that in the world only 20% of silver goes to the creation of jewelry. Pure metal products not only quickly darken, but also easily scratch, while various alloys are more hard and less susceptible to mechanical damage. Alloys of the master are also called ligatures.

Do not assume that alloys reduce the cost of metal, on the contrary, they make it more wear-resistant and attractive. But, of course, do not forget about proper care, since even ligatures with silver tend to darken and become dirty over time.

Liquid silver is most often added to liquid silver today. Experts have noticed that both metals interact perfectly with each other. But this does not end there - most often nickel, zinc, cadmium, as well as other elements that can be easily found in the periodic table (table) of Mendeleev are also added to such a ligature with copper. Nickel is most often used to give extra shine.

The most expensive and prestigious is sterling silver, in which there is an admixture of copper. This alloy contains more than 92% pure silver.

Rhodium silver, as well as sterling silver, is one of the most expensive and sought-after materials. Experts attribute it to the platinum group due to its high wear resistance and improved external data.

One of the most popular varieties is filigree silver, which is pure metal. It is often used for steel notching.

Blackened silver obtained by adding copper and lead. A variety of blackened is oxidized silver.

Gilded silver is created by using gold, copper or brass in the ligature. Such jewelry can darken over time and look more like bronze.

If 1% nickel is present in the ligature, this means that the strength of the future product, as well as its wear resistance, will be increased, but with a higher nickel content the resulting alloy will become brittle. There must be a middle ground.

The aluminum content in the alloy with silver of more than 6% also will not lead to a high-quality mixture. The same applies to the high content of zinc, which can minimize all the beneficial properties of metals.

Alloys of silver with iron are not the most stable, and therefore extremely rare. The same goes for tin, which makes the alloy more dull.

The scope of silver depends on its sample. Today in our country 8 samples of this metal are used. Let's consider them in more detail.

• 720. The lowest base metal, in the ligature of which copper predominates, giving the metal a yellow tint. Due to not the most aesthetically attractive properties, the metal of this sample is not used in jewelry.
• 800 and 830. These alloys are also irrelevant for jewelry due to the high copper content, but they also make knife handles and other items for everyday use.
• 875. Such an alloy is used in jewelry, since there is more than 87% pure silver in it, it has similar external data with white gold, which is often used by scammers, passing off some products as others.
• 916. Today, this material is practically not used in the manufacture of jewelry. In the days of the Soviet Union, things of a household plan were actively made from metal of this sample: teapots, silver dinner sets, sugar bowls, etc.
• 925. This test is one of the most popular, it meets all standards of high-quality metal. Metal reveals all the beauty of silver jewelry. It is known that English coins were minted from the metal of the 925th test, as a result of which it was called "sterling silver".
• 960. In this alloy, 96% pure silver, it is important to use it to create products that will then be coated with enamel. Items made of almost pure silver are very delicate, they should be specially treated, otherwise they can be easily damaged.
• 999. Pure silver, used to create collectible coins and to cast silver ingots.

Other alloys are also known that do not have samples, since they contain a small amount of silver. Such alloys make inexpensive jewelry like brooches and simple rings.

There are also alloys that mimic silverand are not made on its basis, in their composition there is no silver at all. As a rule, nickel, iron and manganese are present in them. Imitation alloys are almost impossible to distinguish from real ones with the naked eye. This kind of alloy is called cupronickelIt is widely used in the creation of inexpensive jewelry and cutlery.

For silver jewelry care tips, see the video below.