How to Choose a Good Silver Ring
Silver is one of the most abundant metals on earth. It showcases an alluring lustre and beauty unmatched by any other metals. Relatively priced lower than other precious metals, silver pieces are nonetheless traded for their quality. High quality silver rings have the quality and beauty which are the simple and straightforward statement that combines sense and style. They are a classic and timeless expression of beauty and an elegant symbol of purity and patience. These items are chosen by couples who have made the commitment to a life together.
The silver ring is an elegant masterpiece without necessarily having a high price tag. Being cost-wise, silver outweighs other precious metals marketed with much higher prices. Silver is becoming a popular favourite among men as a symbol of their love and desire for the woman of their hearts. A women’s acceptance of the ring, in tradition, would mean acceptance of their beloved’s commitment and a promise to be engaged and committed.
Spotting high quality silver rings is not that hard. Aside from going to trusted and well-recognized silver shops, determining whether a piece of silver is of high quality or not can be done by examination through the naked eyes and by estimating the hardness. Silver is a soft metal, yet a little harder than gold. The harder the piece is, the less percentage of silver it contains. Typically, silver jewel pieces have 92.5% of silver, the remaining 7.5% is a mixture of other metals, mainly copper. This is the so-called sterling silver. Sterling silver is often coated with less than 1% finest silver to give a little more shine and lustre. The highest percentage of silver in silver jewelry available in the market today is 99.9% silver.
There are several tests by which the quality of silver can be determined. The most popular is the acid test. There are color designations which would tell how much silver is present in the piece being tested. Silver rings with 99.9% pure silver content will give a bright red colour change upon applying a drop of the acid unto the hidden part of the piece. Sterling silver with 92.5% pure silver content will give out a dark red colour. Items with 80% pure silver will change colour into brown and items with 50% silver turn green. These acid test kits can be bought from shops and online stores.
Customizing a silver ring would require considering how hard the material is, the design pattern and the additional stones or gems that one may desire to put to the silver ring. Silver may be harder than gold but is still one of the softest precious metals and the most ductile. These two properties make it suitable to be patterned after various designs and shapes and may be done much more easily than with gold or any other metal. Generally, silver rings are not very choosy of the kind of gem that can be placed or embedded within the jewelry. It practically goes with any kind of gems and stones.
