It is interesting that the French word for Silver is Argent, this word can also be used in the French language to describe money. The production of silver jewellery has lead to an increased demand and in 2004 Mexico produced most of the world’s mined silver. However, Sterling Silver is not only used for jewellery making. It can also be utilised as a component in electronics because of its very high conductivity. Also in photography and as currency - generally in some form of an alloy. Its other uses include lining vats and other equipment for chemical reaction vessels, water distillation, mirrors and dental equipment. This makes silver one of the most versatile metals available.

Throughout history Silver has always been used to make jewellery and items of decoration and silverware. For
Silver to be classified as Sterling Silver the Silver has to be alloyed with another metal, such as copper. Once the new material has a 92.5% Silver content it can be classified as Sterling Silver.

Keeping your silver jewellery tarnish free should be relatively easy. Your jewellery will become tarnished in the first place by oxidation. This usually only happens to jewellery that is not worn on a daily basis. If however, you are wearing your silver jewellery on a daily basis, and taking medication that changes the acidity of your skin, your jewellery is likely to tarnish. Silver can be cleaned quickly and easily by using a mild dishwashing liquid diluted with water. For more stubborn tarnish stains it may be necessary to use a commercial silver dip liquid. Do be careful if your silver contains gemstones as some liquid cleaners may harm the stones.