If you’re in the market to buy a silver ring, you will discover that there are many different types of silver rings. You may wonder whether you should go for a pure silver ring, a sterling silver ring, or a sterling silver plated ring. Read on to find out the differences between these kinds of silver so that you can make an informed decision about what is right for you.
What Is Sterling Silver and Why Does It Exist?
Sterling silver was developed as an answer to the soft nature of pure silver. Pure silver is simply too soft for practical use in applications such as jewelry. It just won’t stand up to the day in, day out use in regular life as a ring or pendant. Where pure silver is 99.9% silver, sterling silver has a maximum silver content of 92.5% with the rest of the alloy made up of various metals such as copper, zinc or nickel. One major reason for using these metals in the alloy is structural integrity, in essence making it stronger against everyday wear and tear.
Why Copper and Other Metals?
The core reason for this decision is durability without sacrificing quality. Metals such as copper or zinc are a much more durable metal than silver on its own. You may come across rings that are sterling silver plated, but these are mostly composed of lower quality metals that are then coated with “Sterling Silver.” Unfortunately, these types of rings lose their glory sooner than later in most cases. As the 92.5% sterling silver coating wears off, you will be left with bare nickel, copper or zinc. Horrible tarnishing and bad skin reactions are an unflattering end to your perfect ring. You won’t run into this problem with proper sterling silver rings Australia jewelers offer. Australia and the US are big into outdoor activities that can wreak havoc on a pure silver ring – sterling silver is a solid choice in this regard.
Pure 999 Silver Vs Sterling Silver
A ring made of pure 999 silver is certainly ideal if you aren’t going to be wearing it every day. It’s best for pure silver rings to be worn on special occasions as they are far more susceptible to damage or breaking. If your dream ring is something you want to wear every day, it is best to go with the 92.5% sterling silver option. This ring will stay beautiful whilst holding up to dings and scratches without losing structural integrity. You have to think about the life your ring will live, for example, if your hobbies are less in the physical realm such as writing short stories or blog posts, a 999 pure silver ring is okay. However, if you are an active person that engages in indoor rock climbing as a pastime, a pure silver ring as an everyday accessory probably doesn’t make sense. A sterling silver ring is probably the best choice.
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