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About "Sterling Silver"
Sterling
silver is an alloy of
silver containing 92.5%
pure silver and 7.5%
other metals, usually
copper. The minimum
millesimal fineness
is 925.
Fine silver (99.9% pure)
is generally too soft
for producing large
functional objects,
and in Sterling the
silver is usually alloyed
with copper to give
strength whilst preserving
the ductility of the
silver and a high precious
metal content. Other
metals can replace the
copper, usually with
the intent to improve
various properties of
the basic sterling alloy
such as reducing casting
porosity, eliminating
firescale, and increasing
resistance to tarnish.
These replacement metals
include germanium, zinc,
platinum as well as
a variety of other additives
including silicon and
boron. A number of alloys
claiming firescale and/or
tarnish resistance have
appeared in recent years
sparking heavy competition
between the various
manufacturers and their
different formulations.
No one alloy has emerged
as an industry leader
or standard and ongoing
alloy development is
a very active area.
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