Nicht alles was glänzt, muss Gold sein – Unser Sterling Silber

Not everything that glitters has to be gold - our sterling silver

Material

Sterling silver everyone knows the term, but where does it actually come from and is there a difference to pure silver If so, what is the difference? A brief explanation to get you started: Pure silver in its natural form is not suitable for making jewellery, it is just too soft. Sterling silver refers to the common alloy of silver and another metal, usually copper. So analogous to you maybe more familiar en gold alloys. The name can be traced back to the English penny, the so-called Sterling or Easterling. Its composition of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metal still serves as a template for our jewelry today.

Similar to gold mining, silver mining often involves the exploitation of workers and devastating environmental consequences. That's why we at Maren Jewelery have consciously decided to only use recycled silver from Germany since the company was founded. We still stand behind this decision with the utmost conviction. On the one hand, of course, for the social and ecological reasons mentioned, but on the other hand because the recycled metal is in no way inferior to the newly mined metal. We are the best proof that recycled 925 silver is higher quality, more sustainable and more beautiful silver jewellery can be manufactured.

The silver recycling process

Our partner, the Refinery C Hafner obtained with the help of a silver recycling process. Just like with our gold, we constantly collect all our silver residues that arise during the production of our jewelry by polishing, filing or casting and hand them over to C Hafner so that they can be melted down with other scraps to 925 sterling silver. For this purpose, our collected silver residues are melted down until the mass is homogenized and it can be poured into bars. Samples are then taken from these bars and quartered with lead. The lead absorbs the precious metals in the crucible but volatilizes when heated to leave the precious metal grain behind. This grain is then hammered, rolled and dissolved in aqua regia so that it can be separated from other precious metals and processed into our jewelry as recycled 925 sterling silver.

Common silver alloys

The most common silver alloys range in specified alloy sizes between 625, which corresponds to a silver content of 62.5%, and 999 silver, which consequently corresponds to a purity of 99.9%. Each alloy meets different requirements. In general, however, it can be said that the lower the silver content, the harder the end product.

600 to 800 silver, for example, is increasingly being used for cutlery and the like, i.e. commodities with a high potential for wear and tear.

Sterling silver with its purity of 92.5% represents the perfect compromise between hardness and longevity as well as the formability required for processing. As already mentioned, pure silver would be too soft for the production of jewelry.

Proper silver care

Our jewelry is durable and maybe even outlast us. Nevertheless, it is necessary that we take care of our jewelery made of recycled sterling silver at regular intervals in order to preserve the shine of our favorite pieces. There are a few little tricks for you at home. We have a detailed one Jewelry Care Journal created by finding everything you need to know. Our jewelry care set contains all the necessary products that you need for the regular care of your jewelry.

If you would like professional cleaning, we will be happy to provide you with ours ReFresh Service to the side and make your silver jewelery shine again.

recognize authenticity and quality

Do you have doubts about the authenticity of your silver jewelry? We have a very simple tip for you on how to check the authenticity of your jewelry. The only thing you need is a magnet. Hold your jewelry to the magnet and see what happens. Good quality silver with a high silver content will not react to the magnet. If you still have doubts or want to know for sure, we recommend that you have your piece of jewelry professionally tested for purity..

Silver jewelery by Maren Jewellery

After all the facts about the valuable precious metal, you would now also like to know which pieces of jewelery Maren Jewelery offers made of sterling silver. The following link will take you to our timeless silver jewellery, which thanks to its simple elegance also works wonderfully in combination with pieces of jewelery made of gold.

To our silver jewelry

From this blog post

Milkyway ball chain

From 295,00 €

Milkyway Ball Bracelet Silver

From 245,00 €

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Maren Jewelery 925 sterling silver waterproof?

In principle, nothing happens to your jewelery made of recycled sterling silver if it gets wet. Nevertheless, we strongly recommend that you avoid contact with chlorinated water, salt water, soaps, shampoos, sweat during sports, etc., as these contacts can attack and damage your jewelry in the long term.

What Are the Benefits of Recycled Silver?

Just like with recycling gold, 925 recycling silver also prevents the mining and consumption of new, finite resources. Silver is also found in many production waste or goods that are no longer needed and can be recycled from it for reuse. Silver can also be melted down without loss, so recycling silver is a sustainable method of protecting people and the environment and using what is already there. Since silver is usually mined together with gold in mines, the advantages of recycling silver are obvious: mine workers do not have to expose themselves to life-threatening or health-damaging risks and our environment is protected. The recycling process of silver uses 7-14 times less CO2 than with newly mined silver. In addition, recycling silver can also prevent tons of toxic mine waste from ending up in our water, people being displaced due to mining, or forests that are important for our biodiversity being cut down.

Is sterling silver real silver?

Sterling silver is a fusion, also called an alloy, of 92.5% pure, real silver and 7.5% copper. It therefore has a silver purity of 92.5%, which is why it is also called 925 silver. Since silver is very soft at 100% purity, it is not suitable for making jewellery. Therefore, sterling silver is the highest quality silver alloy used in jewelry production.

What is the quality of 925 sterling silver?

Sterling silver, also known as 925 silver, is composed of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. It has a fineness of 92.5%. Because alloys with a higher silver content lose stability, 925 sterling silver is the highest quality silver used in jewelry making.

Written By Franka

Franka is a freelancer in the fields of marketing and communication and lives with her small family in Munich. She tries to consciously organize her everyday life in order to gradually integrate more sustainability into her life.