Silver is pure white in colour and can be polished to a beautiful metallic lustre. Its main uses are in photography, dentistry, jewellery and coinage. Because it is an excellent conductor of heat and electricity, it is also used extensively in electrical components and in the electrical industry.
Like gold, silver is too soft in its pure state to be used in jewellery. Pure silver is called FINE SILVER.
Silver is ALLOYED with mainly copper when used in jewellery. The most alloy of silver for jewellery is called STERLING SILVER.
Sterling Silver is 925 parts silver [92.5%] and only 75 parts [7.5%] copper. In the far East, many silversmiths melt down old coins to make their jewellery and this silver is often little as 80% silver.
Silver is also used to "plate" other metals. Items such as trays, cutlery and some jewellery are often "silver plate". Silver plate means that a thin layer of fine silver has, usually by electrolysis, been deposited onto another metal, often copper or brass.
The internationally recognised marking for sterling silver is "925", although sometimes "StSil" is also used.
