Working with Silver


Working with Silver...


Silver in its pure form is far too soft to be used for most practical purposes which is why silver alloys were created. Silver alloys are made by combining silver with other metals which bring with them additional qualities such as strength and tarnish resistance to create an improved version of the original material.


Specific metal recipes will vary from producer to producer but here is a list of some of the most readily available silver alloys.


4 Types of Silver...


925 Sterling Silver: 925 Sterling Silver is a silver alloy created from silver and typically copper. It is by far the most popular form of silver used in the jewellery industry today and is available in a wide variety of gauges and profiles. Adding copper makes the silver harder and more durable which means it can be used for a much wider variety of applications. 925 is indicative that 92.5% of the material is pure silver with the remaining 7.5% made up of copper. Unfortunately the addition of copper whilst being advantageous brings with it its own problems but we will come to those later in the guide, (see Fire Stain on page 14).


Britannia Silver: Britannia Silver is slightly purer than Sterling Silver having a pure silver content of 958 parts in every thousand or 95.8%. It is softer and slightly more malleable than Sterling Silver and is often favoured by silversmiths for its great workability. Its remaining 4.2% is usually made up of copper but is less susceptible to fire stain than Sterling Silver.


Argentium: Argentium is a relatively new silver alloy, discovered in 1991. It comes in two forms either Argentium 935 (93.5% silver) or Argentium 960 (96.0% silver) with both containing a reduced amount of copper and an increased percentage of germanium which has fantastic anti-tarnish qualities. It is whiter in colour and more durable than traditional Sterling Silver.


Fine Silver: Fine Silver is the purest form of silver you can buy commercially at 99.9% pure. It is very soft and is often used to make investment and decorative silver bars.


Hallmarking: Any silver item that weighs over 7.78g and is intended for sale within the UK must carry a hallmark by law. The standard sterling silver mark is 925, indicating that 925 parts in every thousand is pure silver. Additional hallmarks including the pictorial fineness mark (the lion) and the date letter which are optional and can be applied at the maker’s discretion; however the makers mark, the standard mark and the Assay Office mark are all compulsory.


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