What is sterling silver?

Sterling silver jewelry is made from silver combined with another metal, usually copper, although proportionally sterling silver contains at 92.5% silver by weight. Silver is alloyed with other metals in order to increase its hardness and durability, because pure silver is too soft for use in fine jewelry - pure silver jewelry would easily get bent and damaged and lose its form. Sterling silver is less valuable than either gold or platinum, which are both priced around $1000 per troy ounce (platinum is more expensive though), and its price per troy ounce is only about $15-$20.

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Sterling silver is a silver alloy. Pure silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it harness and strength, while preserving the luster and beauty of a precious metal. It is often used ion jewelry as an alternative to white gold or platinum.

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""Sterling Silver"" is a common and popular silver based material used for jewellery, with ratio of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals (usually copper).

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Silver, like gold is too soft to be used alone for jewelry. It has to be combined with more durable metals. Sterling Silver has 92.5% Silver and 7.5% Copper.

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