Wholesale Jewelry

Silver Rings

Soft, white, and lustrous, silver has long been valued as a precious metal. Silver has been used to make ornaments, jewelry, tableware, utensils, and currency coins for as long as human civilization has existed.

Silver used for jewelry and silverware are traditionally made from standard silver or sterling silver. This type of silver is an alloy of 92.5% silver with 7.5% copper. Only an alloy consisting of at least 90.0% fine silver can be marketed as silver in the United States, this is stamped with the numbers 900. On the other hand, sterling silver is stamped with the numbers 925. Sterling silver is a lot harder than pure silver, and has a lower melting point at 893 °C. This makes sterling silver’s melting point lower than either pure silver or pure copper.

The alloy with the highest silver content is Britannia silver, containing 95.8% silver. Britannia silver is used in silver tableware and wrought plate. Silversmiths traditionally made silverware (silverware is comprised of cutlery, table flatware, bowls, candlesticks), only recently have their work involved jewelry. Nowadays, the demand for handmade silver tableware has greatly diminished and silversmiths have moved over to high-demand silver jewelry.

One of the most important qualities of jewelry is patina, and to make sterling silver rings shiny, it is usually plated with a slim coat of fine .999 pure silver. Besides .999 silver, other materials used for plating are rhodium and gold. Adding the shiny finish is a process called flashing. Although silver is much cheaper than gold, silver has also become very fashionable, and is used a good option if you are in the market for rings.

Silver makes for a good material for promise rings. A promise ring can be exchanged between couples as a commitment prior to getting engaged, between friends, or family members. A silver ring that serves as a promise ring can be worn as a pendant or as one would wear and engagement ring. A promise ring can also be worn on the thumb if the ring has been given as a sign of friendship. Promise rings are meant to be worn as often as possible and it is important that you choose good quality silver if you plan on giving silver rings to your friends or that special someone. A promise ring can also be given by parents to their offspring, for a commitment to abide by certain rules or simply as a symbol of devotion.