Precious Metals | Sterling Silver Jewelry

Sterling Silver Jewellery

Source: Australia, Canada, Mexico, Peru, United States

Silver is a lustrous soft transition metal that is white in color, with a chemical element symbol of (Ag) from the traditional abbreviation for the Latin Argentum. In its natural form, Silver is combined with sulfur, arsenic, antimony, or chlorine and in various ores such as argentite (Ag2S) and horn silver (AgCl). The principal sources of silver are copper, copper-nickel, gold, lead and lead-zinc ores. Silver is also produced during the electrolytic refining of copper.

The name "Silver" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "Seolfor", and the Old High German word "Silabar". The atomic symbol Ag is derived from the Latin word "Argentum". Silver has been known since ancient times and is mentioned in the book of Genesis. Slag heaps found in Asia Minor and on islands in the Aegean Sea indicate that silver was being mined and separated from lead as early as the 4th millennium BC.

For a metal to be labeled as "sterling silver" the silver alloy must contain at least 92.5 percent pure silver. Sterling is found in the grades: 800 sterling, 925 sterling, 958 sterling, and 999 sterling, which is identified using the precious metals Hallmark System.

Commercial grade fine silver is at least 99.9% pure silver and purities greater than 99.999% are available. Mexico is the world's largest silver producer. Silver is currently valued at approximatly 1/45th the price of gold.

Argentium Sterling (AS)

Argentium Sterling (AS) is comprised of 92.5 percent pure silver, 1 to 2 percent germanium, and about 6 percent copper. The argentium Sterling alloy is less susceptible to tarnishing than sterling silver because the germanium element forms a germanium oxide skin on the metal's surface, acting as a barrier to oxidization.

Pure Silver (99.9%) is a soft metal which has a hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs scale, with a Vickers Hardness (VHN or HV) of between 56 (fully annealed) and 180 (cold worked). Silver has a melting point of 961.78º C.

Chemical composition: (Ag), (Ag₂S), (AgCl)

Atomic Number: 47