Silver jewelry is very popular and makes you look marvelous. There are many types of silver available in the jewelry market today. It is important know the different types of silver used in jewelry before purchasing silver jewelry, silver used in jewelry is usually an alloy. This means that it is mixed with a couple of other metals before it can be used in jewelry.

The types of silver used in jewelry are described in detail below.

Fine .999 Silver
Fine silver is the closest metal to the pure silver element. It is described as .999 that indicates 99.9% purity. The remaining 0.1% consists of trace elements of insignificant quantity. Fine .999 silver looks duller than bright polish of sterling silver. It is soft and can change shape easily. Fine silver jewelry is not as popular as sterling silver jewelry manufacturer since its pieces can’t hold up well over time. But it has its own benefits like it is easy to form and is highly resistant to tarnish. Fine silver is soft and so mostly used in making of earrings or necklaces.

Sterling .925 Silver
Sterling silver is the silver which is mostly used in silver jewelry as it is rough, has metallic luster and looks brighter. Sterling silver is an alloy of 92.5% silver. The remaining 7.5% is usually copper, although other metals such as nickel are sometimes used as well. These metals add durability, strength, and luster to the sterling silver. Sterling silver is prone to tarnish and harder than fine silver but still it is softer than other metals. It is very popular in the US market and is best for silver jewelry.

Argentium silver and Non-Tarnish Alloys
Argentium silver is an alloy silver which is 92.5% silver, with little percentage of copper and the addition of the element germanium. The germanium makes the alloy harder and more tarnish-resistant. It requires less maintenance than sterling silver. Argentium is significantly more expensive than sterling and less readily available. Both sterling silver and argentium silver have quality stamp of .925.

Coin Silver
Coin silver is an alloy silver which has .900 silver or 90% silver and 10% copper. Coin silver jewelry available in the market has a quality stamp of .900, and is antique.

Silver-filled
Silver-filled is either 5% or 10% sterling silver by weight fused with heat and pressure to a brass core. It is a new metal and since silver-filled is a layered metal it cannot be cast. It will tarnish and it is considered of a low quality. It is less common in the market and carries no legal quality stamp.

Silver Plated
This is a base metal product with an extremely thin plating layer of silver applied to the surface. When silver jewelry is described as fine silver-plated, the overall silver content is a tiny fraction of a percent. It comes at reasonable cost and can tarnish easily. Costume jewelry will not have a quality stamp but it may have a hallmark.

Nickel Silver
Nickel silver is a base metal alloy consisting of primarily copper with nickel and/or zinc. It is an inexpensive base metal that is similar in appearance to sterling but, again, it contains no real silver at all. It is quite soft and makes an excellent practice metal. It is also used in costume jewelry.

Quality stamps, when available, are an excellent indicator to judge the type of silver. Wholesale Sterling silver jewelry is mostly used in silver jewelry in the US market. Costumers should buy silver from reputable sources like wholesale silver jewelry doctor to get authentic sterling silver with necessary details on the jewelry at wholesale prices.