Sterling Silver appealing to young consumers

Sterling silver jewelry is synonymous with class and style in the world of fashion.
One of the reasons sterling silver jewelry is so popular is its affordability and versatility. Sterling silver can be crafted into many different jewelry items including charms, rings and chains. Silver jewelry is often mistaken for other more precious metals including white gold and platinum.

Sterling Silver is a mixture of fine silver and other metal alloys. Sterling is usually combined with copper to make the jewelry more long lasting and durable. Sterling silver jewelry is usually marked on the inside to indicative of its purity. Sterling silver jewelry made of just the right combination of silver and metal allows a jeweler to create a long lasting, durable piece that is shiny and brilliant enough to be mistaken for more expensive precious metals. Sterling silver is more likely to tarnish over time because of the presence of copper.

Certain maintenance measures need to be taken to care for sterling silver jewelry. To prevent unsightly tarnishing, it should be washed with water and a mild detergent after it is worn, and since it is softer than some other precious metals, abrasion and shock to the piece should be prevented to avoid scratching or marring its surface. In the event that tarnishing does occur, sterling silver jewelry can be polished to restore it to its former sheen.

When buying silver jewelry, you should be prepared to take your time to select quality pieces, just as you would if selecting a more expensive jewelry item. Young consumers are often attracted to sterling silver jewelry because it is so affordable and beautiful. Sterling silver also comes in many contemporary and modern designs which are appealing to young consumers.

Gold and silver best known precious metals

A metal is deemed to be precious if it is rare. The discovery of new sources of ore or improvements in mining or refining processes may cause the value of a precious metal to diminish.

The best-known precious metals are gold and silver. While both have industrial uses, they are better known for their uses in art, jewelry, and coinage. Other precious metals include the Platinum group metals: ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, of which platinum is the most widely traded. Plutonium and uranium could also be considered precious metals.

Gold by nature is yellow and is soft. It is mixed with other metals to form an alloy making it stronger. Gold in pure form is known as 24 karat gold. 18 K gold means 18 parts gold and the rest of the 6 parts come from another precious metal. Gold is also alloyed with other metals to create different colors of gold. Adding copper to gold gives you rose gold. Adding silver to gold gives it an appearance of green color. Adding nickel or Palladium turns yellow gold to white gold. Your gold jewelry can also be made using a combination of two or more colors. They are called two toned or three tone gold.

People have prefer white gold to yellow gold because diamonds match better with white gold. It is cheaper than platinum. Silver is a white grey metal which is softer than gold, platinum and titanium. Platinum - this is a very interesting metal because it is rarer than gold . It is 60% denser than gold and is white in color which matches diamonds.