FAQs

Will my sterling silver jewelry tarnish?

Yes. All Sterling Silver jewelry will tarnish. Silver jewelry marked 925 will also tarnish. How quickly it will tarnish will depend on your body chemistry. To clean sterling silver jewelry, you should use a cloth or silver polish. For the best results, use both. The sterling silver jewelry that you order may come tarnished. If it does, simply clean with a cloth and/or silver polish. Copyright 2004 KADE Enterprises, Inc.

Will my sterling silver or gold-filled Medical tag tarnish?

YES, all sterling silver & gold-filled jewelry tarnishes when exposed to acidic skin or air. An ultrasonice cleaner or a non-abrasive polishing cloth (such as Sunshine) will remove tarnish. (Do not put beaded strands in ultrasonic cleaner.)

Will the sterling silver pendant on my necklace tarnish?

The pendants have an anti-tarnishing coating on them. After time if necessary, use a cleaning cloth or solution from a jewelry store. Do not use steel wool or abrasive cleaners.

What is "tarnish resistant" Sterling Silver?

Tarnish is a discoloration of the surface of silver and many other metal items caused by oxidation, it is caused by exposure to air. Ordinary silver alloys, including Sterling Silver, are subject to tarnish and must be polished or plated with a protective metal, such as Rhodium, to block the tarnishing process. Tarnish resistant silver is an entirely new silver alloy. It uses germanium to inhibit (block/prevent) the process of oxidation.

Will sterling silver tarnish?

Sterling silver will tarnish naturally over time. It will patina in time taking on an antique look. Argentium® sterling silver contains the same amount of silver, 92.5% as legally required for sterling. A patented material, germanium replaces approximately 1% of the copper content of the sterling which makes it highly resistant to tarnishing. Sterling silver can be polished with a soft silver polishing cloth to quickly restore its lustre.

Is it kosher, Weiman® Royal Sterling Silver Polish Tarnish Preventing?

Yes. Weiman® Royal Sterling Silver Polish brilliantly shines fine silver; it also leaves behind a tarnish-preventing shield to keep your silver looking beautiful for months. It is also certified Kosher For Passover by the Orthodox Union; we only use the purest of ingredients in making Royal Sterling.

What is Anti-Tarnish Argentium® Sterling Silver Wire?

Argentium® Sterling Silver is real sterling silver -- it is 925 parts out of 1000 silver, or .925. The difference is what the other 075 parts are. Traditional sterling silver uses copper as the balance of the sterling. Argentium® Sterling Silver is a trademarked and patented alloy that uses a combination copper and Germanium to make up the 075 parts of the sterling silver. Argentium® Sterling Silver is highly tarnish resistant.

What is Sterling Silver?

Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects, and in Sterling the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give strength whilst preserving the ductility of the silver and a high precious metal content. Other metals can replace the copper, usually with the intent to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firescale, and increasing resistance to tarnish. Although silver in its natural form is harder than gold, it is still considered too soft for use in fine jewelry, and so it is alloyed with other metals to give it strength. Sterling silver is composed of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper, which makes the metal harder and more durable. In addition to its relative strength, silver is also the most malleable and ductile of all metals. Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver blended with other metals to make it firmer and to help it hold it's shape. Still, it is the softest of the three types of trim. With exposure to air sterling will tarnish. Silver, even fully work-hardened, gradually re-crystallizes and softens at room temperature. Alloys are added to make it harder, stronger, and less susceptible to scratching and marring. Sterling silver (or 925 silver) is the best copper-silver alloy and is 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper. Some people claim sterling silver earrings are hypo-allergenic, it depends on the allergy. Most people have a problem with nickel and sterling would not bother them. Sterling Silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% alloy (or 0.925 fine). The small amount of alloy added in sterling silver makes the silver much more durable and less susceptible to scratching and marring.

Yellobox jewelery

Silver products, sold from Yellobox are all classed as 'Sterling Silver'. The implications of this are directly related to the quality of the metal. Copper is often added to silver in order to increase the durability and workability of the metal. Sterling silver represents a standard that governs the rule that the metal alloy must contain a minimum of 925 parts pure silver to every 1,000 parts.

What is the silver content of sterling silver?

Sterling silver comprises 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% various other metal compounds. Sterling may also be marked 925. Silver jewelry marked 940, 950, 960, 970, or 980 are of higher silver content than is sterling. Many of the famous jewelry manufacturers in Taxco utilized high content silver for jewelry because of the fact that it was less likely to tarnish, the glow was of a more subtle nature, and the color of the silver was slightly different.

What is the difference between fine and sterling silver?

Fine silver is pure silver (0.999 or 99.9% pure). Sterling silver is 92.5% silver to which is added other metals, primarily copper, as alloys. These other metals make the sterling harder than fine silver. Fine silver will tarnish, but not as fast as sterling. It doesn't tend to go as thoroughly black as sterling can go. Point of interest, silver does not "oxidize" - it is a sulphur reation, rather than an oxygen reaction.

Silver?

Sterling is an alloy that is at least 92.5% pure silver. Silver is the whitest of all metals. Pure silver is very soft. Sterling makes more durable jewelry and has better working properties. It is the standard in North America, Britain and Ireland. It is frequently marked "925". The 7.5% that is not silver is traditionally copper. Our casting alloy, that almost all of our Celtic jewelry is made from is a de-oxidizing alloy of copper, boron and a silicon deoxidizer. To be considered sterling silver, the metal content must be made up of at least .925/1000 parts of actual silver metal. Some items like sterling silver beads from the Hill Tribe or Turkish silver actually have an even higher content of silver, which is why they are more expensive. German silver or nickel silver look similar to silver but are not silver at all. I do not use German silver, nickel silver or craft wire in my work.

Should I lacquer silver so it won't tarnish?

Lacquering or waxing silver is generally not recommended because of the difficulties in obtaining an even coating. If the coating has not been applied well, it may be uneven or have streaks and small holes, so that when the object retarnishes, it could look worse than if no coating had been applied at all. Lacquer will also eventually yellow and crack, allowing tarnish to form within the fissures and eventually under the protective coating.

Will silver tarnish? How do I protect it?

Silver will tarnish. It is best to store your sterling silver or silver plated tiara in silver cloth available at jewelers and some fabric stores. If that is unavailable wrap several times in regular kitchen plastic wrap and place in a Ziploc bag. Do not use rubber bands over the plastic! They react with silver and create permanent marks.

What Causes Tarnish On Silver Jewelry?

The chemical reaction of the silver with the air causes silver to tarnish. Any silver jewelry that is exposed to air will tarnish. If you're thinking of buying a piece of silver jewelry that is showing signs of tarnish, you may be able to get a better deal on it because it means that piece of jewelry has been at the jeweler for a longer period of time. Simply clean the silver jewelry when you get it home and you will have gotten a great deal on a piece of real silver jewelry

How do you remove tarnish from silver?

The best way to keep silver clean is to avoid tarnish to begin with. To do this, make sure that you store your silver in a zip-lock baggie. When silver gets dirty or tarnished, create a baking soda paste with water and baking soda and gently rub the paste all over the silver with a damp cloth until the silver is clean. Rinse the silver off and make sure you dry it well before storing it or wearing it.