Information about Silver

Silver has been used in jewellery for centuries, it is easy to work with due to it being quite soft. This also means that it is not generally recommended as a metal for setting precious stones in or for everyday wear. Silver can commonly be seen combined with Cubic Zirconia (a man made Diamond simulant) or various other semi-precious gemstones. For bespoke pieces, the labour cost tends to outweigh the material cost with Silver pieces. Although it can be particularly useful to make a Silver 'master' item that can be cast in the desired previous metal afterwards, as the Silver is easier to work with. Silver also bears a fineness mark, most commonly this is '925' also known as 'Sterling' Silver.

Silver Marking

The Assay Office Sterling Silver '925' mark

A Typical UK Alloy Mix:

Silver 92.5% + Copper
This purity is known as 'Sterling' and is common as a UK standard