What is Sterling Silver?

Silver is a soft metal in its pure form, too soft to be used for jewelry and other items, so it's mixed with other metals to make it more durable. A popular silver mixture, called an alloy is known as sterling silver which contains 92.5 pure silver.

The minimum silver content can also be stated as 925 parts per thousand of pure silver, so you might see the figures 925 or 92.5 used to mark silver content.

Copper Content

Copper is the most common metal used to round out the 7.5 percent alloy balance in sterling silver. It adds hardness to pure silver, but brings with it a tendency to tarnish--a darkening that occurs when sterling silver reacts with gases in the air or with other substances that it comes in contact with.

Storing Sterling Silver Jewelry

Store your sterling silver jewelry in tarnish prevention cloths or bags. The treated cloth slows down the tarnishing process and keeps the jewelry from rubbing against harder jewelry that can scratch it. Try to to keep your sterling silver jewelry in a cool, dry place.

Cleaning Your Sterling Silver Jewelry

Clean sterling silver with a phosphate free detergent. A low abrasive cleaner, such as 3M Tarni-Shield Silver Polish, is a good choice for removing light tarnish. Some people use toothpaste to clean their sterling silver, but most silver experts caution against it because they feel toothpaste is too abrasive and leaves dulling scratches.