[Jewelry making - Article 00175] - Re: [Orchid] Sterling

[Silverfoot]

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    From every book on the subject of Silver I have ever read; You are
    correct when you say that "Sterling" is an alloy of Silver/Copper,
    and if a piece is marked "Sterling" it legally needs to be a mixture
    of Silver/Copper.  However, I believe that the line can get a bit
    fuzzy when the piece is stamped ".925", for while we might associate
    this (in the US at least) to mean "Sterling", in reality it just
    indicates that 92.5% of the alloy is Silver and the other 7.5% could
    be pop-tarts/bacon grease <being silly here> or anything else for
    that matter.  This does present problems, especially for the end
    consumer who goes to places like Mexico, where the Silver is alloyed
    with 7.5% Nickel (if I am remembering correctly) instead of Copper;
    this alloy tends to be much more brittle and work hardens much
    quicker than the Copper counterpart; and tends to crack after
    relatively little wear.  It is also more of  pain in the but to
    repair, as many of you know from experience. 

    US refiners/manufacturers of "Sterling" (like Hoover & Strong) are
    held to quite strict regulations regarding alloy content.  So, if
    you are buying the "Sterling" from a metals supplier in the US, it
    is pretty safe to assume that you are getting a Silver/Copper Alloy.
     If however, you are doing your own mixing (like during casting) and
    you decide to use a different ".925" mixture.  Full disclosure to
    your customer should preclude the making of the piece, just so they
    understand what they are getting.  I have had customers who have
    wanted an alloy of Silver/Gold.  Who am I to argue, as long as the $
    are there? <grin> 


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