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Overview
Silver has traditionally been used for tableware, decorative objects, currency, and jewellery. Today, the largest consumers of silver are the electronics and photographic industries. Thanks to its excellent reflectivity, silver has also been widely used in the manufacture of mirrors.
Hallmark
In Finland, silver jewellery is hallmarked according to its fineness, expressed in parts per thousand (‰). For example, a 925 hallmark indicates that the alloy contains 925‰ (92.5%) pure silver.
Cleaning
Clean jewellery with lukewarm water and use mild dish soap (which has a neutral pH). You can use a new, clean toothbrush.
After washing jewellery, dry it carefully with a clean, lint-free cloth. If you use anti-tarnish cloth, make sure it is suitable for silver jewellery.
Silver jewellery oxidises over time. Oxidation can be reduced by removing jewellery before working with chemicals or cleaning.
Storage
Store jewellery separately from other pieces to help prevent scratches.
Keep the jewellery in its original box or another clean jewellery box. Alternatively, wrap it in a clean, lint-free cloth and place it in an airtight bag.
Tarnishing can be reduced by storing jewellery in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.
Silver jewellery may corrode when exposed to salt water, such as seawater. It is therefore recommended to remove silver jewellery before swimming.
Sterling silver
Silver jewelry stamped with the 925 hallmark contains 95,2% pure silver. The rest of the percent, 7,5%, is copper. Pure silver is soft, and by alloying it with copper, the jewellery is durable for everyday use.
Because sterling silver contains copper, it may tarnish over time.
Chemicals found in cosmetics, perfumes, hairsprays, and cleaning products can accelerate tarnishing. For this reason, it is recommended to put on jewellery only after applying beauty or hair care products.
Argentium Silver ®
Argentium Silver® is an alloy containing germanium, which makes it significantly more resistant to oxidation than traditional sterling silver.
Argentium Silver® is also harder than conventional sterling silver, making it more resistant to scratches and everyday wear.
In addition, Argentium Silver® has a lower melting point than traditional silver-copper alloys.
Prosessing
Recycling
Silver jewellery can be recycled by melting the metal and reusing it to create new pieces. Silver is slightly more difficult to recycle than gold because any solder used in the piece must be removed before the metal can be melted down.
Stone Setting
Silver is well suited for gemstone settings. Particularly delicate gemstones can also be set in fine silver, which is softer and more malleable than sterling silver.
Element: Ag
Melting point: 960 °C
Density: 10.5 g/cm³
Colour: Light grey with a subtle bluish tint