Criteria to Consider Before Investing in Silver Jewelry

What is Silver?

Silver is a precious metal that comes in many forms. Though it’s mostly white, silver can also be grey or black. Some pieces may have a yellow hue to them, which means they’re made with higher concentrations of gold. Silver can be used as jewelry and as part of decorative objects like picture frames.

It has several useful properties:

It’s malleable, ductile and a good conductor of electricity and heat
It has the highest reflectivity of any metal

The History of Silver

Silver has been in use since the dawn of man.

It is believed that silver was first used as a currency by the ancient Egyptians, who also used it to make jewelry. The Romans also used silver in coinage and jewelry. In fact, it was during this time that we see some of our favorite pieces of jewelry (such as necklaces) become popularized. It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that gold rose in popularity over silver due to its more durable nature. By then, however, there were many advances made in the refining process for both precious metals—which is especially important when talking about vintage styles like Renaissance or Victorian-era pieces of jewelry!

You may have heard about how gold and diamonds are considered “precious” because they have high value relative to their size; this value can be expressed mathematically using a number called carat weight (ct). For instance: 1 ct equals 0.2 grams or 20 milligrams whereas 1 oz equals 31 grams which means one ounce contains roughly 480mg worth at current market prices ($20/oz)!

Silver’s Fineness and Purity

When buying silver jewelry, you will want to ensure that what you are purchasing is truly silver and not some other metal. This means that it should be marked with the stamp of fineness and purity, sometimes referred to as hallmarks. The stamp of fineness on sterling silver must be at least 925 parts per thousand pure silver while Britannia silver is only 750 parts per thousand pure silver.

There are a lot of different ways people mark their pieces with these hallmarks, but they all mean the same thing: that your piece contains a certain percentage of actual precious metals in it (usually alloys like copper or nickel). The most common type of hallmark found on fine jewelry today is “925.” This symbol means that your piece contains 92.5% pure silver; the rest usually consists mainly of copper or other non-precious metals used for making jewelry stronger or more durable than purer forms would be without those additional elements added into them during manufacturing processes such as rolling sheets into wires for rings and bracelets before soldering them together for strength purposes; attaching clasps onto chains so as not snap under pressure from normal wear conditions over time.”

Silver’s Strengths and Weaknesses

Silver is easy to care for and maintain. Silver jewelry is very durable, but it can be easily scratched. Silver is soft and can scratch easily, so it’s not suitable for jewelry that might be frequently handled. Silver has a tendency to tarnish when exposed to air or other elements, but this can be prevented by keeping it away from moisture and cleaning it regularly with an appropriate polish.

Silver is a very reactive metal, which means that when mixed with certain chemical compounds in certain environments (like those found in soil), the metal will change color over time – usually from white or cream-colored to black or dark brownish grey).

How to Clean Your Silver Jewelry

If your silver jewelry is tarnished, you can clean it with a polishing cloth or a microfiber cloth. Gently rub the jewelry to a shine. You can also use a silver dip or some kind of silver polish paste (be sure to check out our favorite one here!). Just use a soft brush to remove any paste from your jewelry once you’re done shining it up!

When buying silver, you should be aware of its purity, fineness, pros and cons, and how to properly care for it.

Silver is a soft metal that is easily damaged by hard or sharp objects. It is a good conductor of heat and electricity. Silver jewelry is often used in place of gold because it has a lower melting point than gold (silver melts at 962°F), making it better suited for high temperature environments like kitchens and bathrooms.

It’s also important to note that if you’re looking to buy pricey sterling silver jewelry items such as bracelets or necklaces with gemstones in them you’ll want to make sure the stones have been set into prongs which will help protect them from getting knocked out during everyday use so don’t forget this when budgeting!