Sterling Silver
Here are a few FAQs about our jewellery.
What is sterling silver?
What is E-coating?
What is Rhodium plating?
Do all your items have a full hallmark?
Is your Silver jewellery Nickel and Lead free?
Are the gemstones real?
How to care for silver jewellery.
Basic Information
All our silver items are made from 925 sterling silver. Our gold items are made of solid 9ct or 18ct gold. Prices are in GBP and are right at the time of listing, but we reserve the right to change the prices at any time due to fluctuation in precious metals. Sizes are stated in centimetres and millimetres. Some chain lengths have extensions, which will be stated i.e 'plus 3cm'. All gemstones are real, unless otherwise stated. Natural gemstones may vary in colour and some may be treated to obtain colours. Chains are sold separately, unless otherwise stated.
What is sterling silver?
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.
Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength while preserving the ductility and beauty of the precious metal. 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. These replacement metals include germanium, zinc and platinum, as well as a variety of other additives, including silicon and boron.
Most of our jewellery pieces rhodium plated or E-coated. These are two processes that help sterling silver to last longer, look new and prevent tarnishing, corrosion and damage. The two methods are explained below.
What is E-coating?
E-coating, also known as electro-coating or electro deposition, is a method that uses electrical current to coat a metal surface with an organic lacquer, covering every nook and cranny on the jewellery with an even and consistent protective coat. This coat protects the sterling silver used to create the jewellery. E-coated jewellery isn't as shiny as rhodium plated pieces and has a warmer tone in color, but it lets the natural beauty of the sterling silver come through without fear of damage.
What is Rhodium plating?
Rhodium plating is used on silver to prevent scratches and damages to the jewellery. Rhodium, is not as shiney as silver but is shinier than E-coating. Sterling silver is a soft metal which can easily be protected and made to last longer with a coat of rhodium.
Do all your items have a full hallmark?
The legal requirement for a full UK ,hallmarked as stated by the assay office, is only needed when the weight of silver is above 7.78grams. If the item weighs less than 7.78grams it does not require a hallmark, therefore our items which weigh under 7.78 grams are stamped "925" by the manufacturers. Those item with the silver weight above 7.78grams are fully hallmarked.
Is your Silver jewellery Nickel and Lead free?
Yes, our jewellery conforms to International, European an American legislation regarding lead, nickel and heavy metal content. Our goods are regularly tested to ensure compliance with these laws.
Are the gemstones real?
Yes, all our gemstones are real unless otherwise stated. These include diamond, cubic zirconia, pearls, garnet, ruby, amethyst, topaz, turquoise, quartz, onyx, amber, coral, aquamarine. Some natural gemstones may have been treated to obtain the colour. Some of our items are made with Swarovski elements which will be clearly stated in the title/description.
How to care for silver jewellery.
As a natural material, silver reacts with its environment, especially the chemicals in the air and, over time, silver does become tarnished. This doesn’t mean that your fabulous new piece of jewellery is defective, far from it, it just proves that your beautiful accessory is good quality silver.
Silver should always be kept in air-tight self-seal bags or anything similar. When silver is exposed to oxygen it gets tarnished which makes the silver look dull and old. To overcome this problem, you should use a jewellery cleaning cloth to remove the tarnish and bring back the silver shine. Jewellery cleaning cloths are widely available. If the tarnish is really bad you may need to get a cleaning solution (I recommend The dave bradford collection) or get it professionaly cleaned.
Try and keep your jewellery in a dry and cool place. Do not mix it with other materials such as plated jewellery and gold as this may also affect the silver.
Be careful when you are wearing your jewellery, don't expose it to household chemicals, hair products, perfumes, cosmetics, perspiration, rubber, latex, chlorinated water or direct sunlight. Avoiding (or at least reducing) tarnish is easy, just make sure you put your make-up, perfume and hairspray on before you put your jewellery on - and take off your silver jewellery before you go swimming and sunbathing.
Excerpts taken from :http://www.scotweb.co.uk/info/caring-for-silver-jewellery/
