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Sterling Silver
The silver jewelry and accessories available at Blue
Nile are made of beautiful sterling silver. For our
collection, we have chosen classic designs created by
some of the finest silver craftsmen. This guide will
help you learn to identify quality in silver jewelry and
accessories.
Sterling Silver
Pure silver, also called fine silver, is relatively
soft, very malleable, and easily damaged so it is
commonly combined with other metals to produce a more
durable product. The most popular of these alloys is
sterling silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver
and 7.5 percent copper.
Although any metal can make up the 7.5 percent
non-silver portion of sterling, centuries of
experimentation have shown copper to be its best
companion, improving the metal's hardness and durability
without affecting its beautiful color.
The small amount of copper added to sterling has very
little effect on the metal's value. Instead, the price
of the silver item is affected by the labor involved in
making the item, the skill of the craftsperson, and the
intricacy of the design.
Stamps of Quality
Most high quality silver items are stamped with a
"fineness" or "quality" mark. This mark designates the
precious metal content of the jewelry, and under federal
law, must be accompanied by a maker's mark or registered
trademark.
Silver Alloys
Because pure silver is so soft, it should only be
used when malleability is required, such as in
handcrafted jewelry featuring weaving and other
intricate designs.
Sterling silver is most often used for jewelry and
household accessories because of its combination of
beauty and durability. Acceptable quality marks for
sterling silver include:
- sterling
- sterling silver
- .925
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Gold
Gold won't tarnish, rust, or corrode, and though it's
very strong, it is also the most malleable of all
metals.
Purity
Pure gold is too soft to withstand the stresses of
every-day wear, so it is alloyed with a mixture of
metals like silver, copper, nickel, and zinc to give it
strength and durability. Karatage, noted by a number
followed by "k" indicates purity, or how much of the
metal in a piece of jewelry is gold. Karatage is
expressed in 24ths, making 24k gold 100% gold.
Color
The color of gold is determined by two factors:
The type of metal alloys included in it
The percentage of each metal alloy
Yellow Gold
In jewelry at Blue Nile, you'll find 18k and 14k yellow
gold. 18k gold contains more precious metal than 14k
gold. It is composed of 75% gold, which is alloyed with
other metals to make it strong enough to withstand
every-day wear. Because 14k gold is composed of only
58.3% gold, and 41.7% other metals that give it
strength, its gold color is not as rich as 18k gold. 14k
gold is most commonly found in cases where strength is
most important, like in earring backs and bracelet
clasps.
White Gold
Because 18k white gold is 75% gold, and 14k white gold
is 58.3% gold, jewelry made from these metals has a
slight yellow color. To enhance the whiteness, almost
all white gold is plated with rhodium, a shiny, white
metal which is extremely hard. Depending on the amount
of wear to a piece of jewelry, over time this rhodium
plating may wear off, revealing the original metal
color. Re-plating is a simple process that can be done
to restore your jewelry's whiteness if needed.
Rose Gold
Rose gold gets its color from a larger proportion of
copper in the metal alloy. This gives the gold a
beautiful pink color. |
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Platinum
The most appealing characteristic of
platinum is its durability. Each time
other metals are scratched or polished,
a tiny bit of metal is lost. In fact
eventually, prongs of white gold and
yellow gold may wear down enough that
you need to have them reinforced with
more metal for safety.
But not with platinum. A scratch in
platinum may leave a mark on the metal,
but this metal is so strong that it will
not readily chip or splinter. For that
reason, we set all loose diamonds in
safe, secure, platinum prongs.
While it is the strongest of jewelry
metals, it can scratch and develop a
patina of wear. Many people prefer
this look, unique to platinum. But if
you like the shine, a jeweler can polish
your jewelry to bring back the original
reflective finish. In the mean time,
buffing with a soft cloth can give your
jewelry renewed luster.
Most platinum jewelry is 95 percent
pure platinum, and 5 percent iridium or
palladium alloy. For guaranteed quality
in platinum, look for the marks 950 Plat
or Plat. |
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