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

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 start: Pure silver in its natural form is not suitable for jewelry making, it is simply too soft. Sterling silver refers to the common alloy of silver and another metal, usually copper. So, similar to what you might be more familiar with. GoldlegierungenThe name is derived from the English penny, known as the sterling or Easterling. Its composition of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metal still serves as a template for our jewelry pieces today.

Similar to gold extraction, silver extraction often involves the exploitation of workers and devastating environmental consequences. That is why, since the founding of Maren Jewellery, we have consciously chosen to use only recycled silver from Germany. We stand behind this decision with full conviction to this day. On the one hand, of course, for the aforementioned social and ecological reasons, but also because the recycled metal is in no way inferior to newly extracted metal. We are the best proof that high-quality, sustainable, and beautiful pieces can be made from recycled 925 silver. Silberketten and Silberarmbänder have made.

Also, the 925 sterling silver that we use for our jewelry is sourced from our partner who C Hafner Minting Institution obtained through a silver recycling process. Just like with our gold, we continuously collect all our silver scraps that arise during the production of our jewelry through polishing, filing, or casting and hand them over to C Hafner so that they can be melted down with additional scrap to create 925 sterling silver. For this purpose, our collected silver scraps are melted down until the mass is homogenized and can be cast into bars. Samples are then taken from these bars, which are quartered with lead. The lead absorbs the precious metals in the crucible but evaporates under heat, leaving behind the precious metal grain. This grain is then hammered, rolled, and dissolved in aqua regia so that it can be separated from other precious metals and processed as recycled 925 sterling silver into our jewelry pieces.

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.

Our jewelry pieces are durable and may even outlast us. Nevertheless, it is necessary for us to care for our recycled sterling silver jewelry at regular intervals to maintain the shine of our favorite pieces. There are a few small tricks for you at home. We have a detailed Jewelry Care Journal and a journal for Cleaning silver jewelry created, in which you will find all the important information. Our Schmuckpflegeset contains all the necessary products you need for the regular care of your jewelry. 

If you would like a professional cleaning, we are also happy to assist you with our ReFresh Service to the side and bring your silver jewelry back to shine.

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. All you need is a magnet. Hold your jewelry up to the magnet and see what happens. High-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 our journal with tips on recognizing high-quality jewelry or you can have your piece professionally tested for its purity.

After all the facts about the precious metal, you now want to know which pieces of jewelry Maren Jewellery offers in sterling silver? Follow the link to our timeless silver jewelry, which works wonderfully in its simple elegance even in the interaction with gold pieces.