Sterling Silver Wedding Rings

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terling silver is both beautiful and affordable. It is a very popular choice for jewelry designers and appeals to a wide range of people - women and men in all age groups with classic tastes or modern styles. Sterling silver can be crafted into jewelry with simple designs or into intricate and unique creations, including earrings, necklaces, pendants, bracelets, and rings. Sterling silver is even used by some of the most upscale jewelers, including Tiffany & Co. and David Yurman.

With all the interest in sterling silver jewelry, it is not uncommon for many engaged couples to be curious about sterling silver wedding rings. In fact, many sterling silver rings are designed to look like wedding bands and engagement rings. Band styles of wedding rings may be plain or feature a design that is molded or etched into the metal. The fancier styles of wedding rings may include either genuine or man-made gemstones. They may sometimes be set with diamonds, but more often with cubic zirconia, Swarovski crystal, or semi-precious stones. While the designs of sterling silver rings are beautiful, it is also important to consider how the ring will hold up if it is worn every day over a lifetime.

Choosing a Wedding Ring Setting

Sterling silver is one of the precious metals, but it does not have the same strength and durability that is attributed to gold or platinum. Sterling silver may be a popular choice for jewelry, but being a softer metal, it is usually not considered a suitable metal for wedding rings. Since most wedding rings are worn every day and exposed to many conditions that can cause wear and tear, it is important to choose a metal that is able to withstand constant wear and still remain beautiful over time.

When choosing a wedding ring setting, some of the factors to consider include the ability of the setting to securely hold the stones, if the setting can be repaired or sized, and if the ring will endure thru the years. When considering a wedding ring in any metal, whether gold, platinum, or silver, a setting with stones will require more care than a wedding ring without stones. Although plain sterling silver wedding bands may be acceptable, because of the softness of sterling silver, it is generally not considered a secure setting for diamonds. The softness also means the bright and shiny finish will probably show scratches and dull over time, although the ring can usually be buffed out with a polishing cloth to regain a shiny luster. If the silver ring is damaged or needs to be sized, even if the repair is possible, it is usually less expensive to replace the item than to have it repaired. Because of the sentiments attached to the wedding ring, this is an unfortunate situation. Although there are many beautiful sterling silver wedding ring styles, it is important to consider the long range durability.

What is Sterling Silver?

Silver, when newly mined or recently polished, has a bright, silver-white color and metallic luster. Silver is too soft to be used in most jewelry in its pure form, so it is often alloyed with other metals to increase its strength and durability. The most popular silver alloy is sterling silver. The term "sterling silver" refers to the fineness of the silver alloy, which consists of 92.5% pure silver (.925) metal and 7.5% copper. The copper adds hardness, but it also increases the tendency to tarnish - when exposure to air causes a black layer of silver oxide to form on the surface. This oxidation can usually be removed with a polishing cloth or silver jewelry cleaner.

What is Anti-Tarnish Sterling Silver?

Often Sterling Silver will be rhodium plated to give it a shiny finish and to reduce the tarnishing. Rhodium plating is a common finish for sterling silver, and for white gold as well. Rhodium is one of the metals in the platinum family and is very hard and durable. Over time the rhodium layer may wear off, but a new rhodium layer can usually be put on by a jeweler if needed. While the rhodium finish provides many benefits to look and durability, when considering wedding rings, the combination of two metals makes it more difficult and expensive to repair or size.

How to Care for your Silver Jewelry

Silver jewelry is best cleaned with silver jewelry cleaner and/or polishing cloths that can be found at many jewelry stores. The polishing cloths helps revive the shiny finish and remove tarnish that forms on the surface as the metal reacts with sulfur or hydrogen sulfide in the air. As for most metals, silver should not come into contact with harsh chemicals, such as bleach, ammonia, or chlorine. When not wearing your silver jewelry, try to store in tarnish prevention cloths or bags in a cool, dry place. The treated cloths slows down the natural oxidation process and the individual bags keeps the jewelry protected so it will not get scratched by other jewelry items.