WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STERLING SILVER AND SILVER?

Good question! According to The World Book Dictionary, 1973 edition, Sterling silver is defined as “solid silver; silver that is 92.5 per cent pure (the original British standard of fineness for silver coin).”

Under the definition of Silver, we find this definition in the same dictionary “-adj. 1. made, consisting of, or plated with silver.”

I reckon that’s pretty clear. All of my silver pendants, earrings and charms are 92.5 silver.

Sterling Silver versus Silver Plating

I don’t really know why any jeweler would want to mess around with plated silver. In fact, my daughter-in-law has a pretty pendant, a Celtic jewelry silver piece (or so we thought) in a Celtic knot design that she is quite fond of. Recently I noticed it looking a little worse for wear and I thought I’d give it a good polishing. To my dismay, I discovered that wasn’t the problem- the silver plate was wearing off!

It can be pretty disappointing when you discover your favorite silver pendant isn’t 925 sterling silver jewelry after all.

Sure, real silver jewellery needs a good polishing now and again. But I find that if you keep your silver necklaces, silver jewelry rings and other pretties in a thick plastic bag (be sure to get the air out as much as possible before sealing) when you aren’t wearing them that they will stay untarnished for quite a while. The bag should be just a little larger than the silver sterling jewelry you are keeping in it.

Some of my customers ask me if my silver jewellery will tarnish “Of course!” I proudly answer. All untreated, real silver, sterling jewelry will tarnish when exposed to the air. But it is so easy to polish. My favorite home-spun polishing method is one I learned from my mother, Kathryn Hutton, in the 1950s.

I made use of it when polishing the good silver ware for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner way back when.

You probably have it in your cupboard at home right now!

How to polish your sterling silver jewelry

It’s baking soda. And water. Just make a thick, goopy paste with just a tad of water. Rub it into your silver jewelry. Sterling will be back to its gleaming, beautiful self in short order. Be sure to rinse all the baking soda off and then give your sterling silver jewelry a good buff with a soft cotton cloth for a real sparkle.

You can also purchase a polishing cloth, which is sometimes handier to use. It’s what I polish my silver jewellery with when I’m traveling to shows.

Something else I’ve noticed about 925 sterling silver jewelry. The more you wear it (including while showering and washing) the less often it needs to be polished. My silver jewelry rings tend to stay bright and shiny the more I wear them. I never bother taking off silver rings to wash my hands. Many of my customers wear their sterling pendant necklace day and night and have little problem with tarnishing.

By the way, silver plate will tarnish as well. Otherwise I never would have had to polish all those forks, knives and spoons back when I was a kid.

So wear those silver bracelets, rings and pendants and don’t be afraid of a little tarnish- it’s easily handled. It’s worth it to have beautiful sterling silver jewelry that you love to wear.

I’ve always loved creating sterling silver jewelry, and feel like it’s my job in life to have it spread throughout the world, shiny little custom animal jewelry faces gracing the ears and necks of women and girls from South Africa to Italy!

I’m honored to be following in the footsteps of all the wonderful animal jewelry artists of the distant past. A few days ago I was perusing a book from the library about the early history of silver jewelry making, and found photographs of some absolutely wonderful animal earrings and pendants in sterling silver and gold.

Even though they weren’t (as far as I know) being made in ancient times, I do believe that sterling silver charms are one of my current favorite forms of jewelry. I love the idea of being able to wear symbols of the things that may be important to you.

The history of sterling silver earrings has been with us for a long time. Some of the most exquisite sterling silver earrings I’ve seen are crafted in the American Southwest by Native American craftsmen and women. I especially am fond of Hopi sterling silver earrings.

But I think the most ubiquitous form of jewelry is sterling silver pendants. I’m quite sure that long before some ancient artist dreamed up the idea of suspending a design from the earlobe, little holes were being hammered into seashells and worn around the neck with a piece of string.

The more I think about it, the more fascinating this all is. I bet that even the earliest hominids wore body decoration of some kind. I think it proves my point that art and creativity is inherent in us all.