Silver is undoubtedly one of the most popular materials from which jewellery is made. It is mined from a variety of ores, and it is mostly concentrated in the ores of copper, lead, zinc and gold. The leading producers of silver in the world are Mexico, Peru, China, Canada and Australia.
Silver is used most often in the production of jewellery, cutlery, musical instruments, currency coins and electrical appliances. Jewellery making is probably the most common purpose for which silver is applied. Pure silver is not used in the production of jewellery because it is too soft and too delicate to work with. Instead, sterling silver is used, which is an alloy of 925 silver obtained from 92.5% silver and 7.5 % copper. Sterling silver is easily recognizable by a 925 mark stamped on the jewellery item.
The soldering of silver is an important step in the production of silver jewellery. During the process, two pieces of the metal are connected in high temperature using a small amount of a metal of a lower melting temperature. Soldering makes it possible to obtain fancy jewellery items of various kinds, fit for parties, special occasions such as weddings, and also everyday use.
It is also important to maintain silver jewellery properly. With time, silver tarnishes as a result of contact with certain chemicals in the air. However, silver jewellery can be cleaned to regain its original shine and colour. In order to do that, we can use various cleaning fluids designed for refreshing jewellery items, or we can try using some objects found around the home, such as diluted vinegar, salt or baking soda. These are simple but effective and inexpensive ways to make your silver jewellery clean again.