If you’re in the market for a silver ring and want to make sure that you select a high-quality ring that matches the price you’re paying, you should be more familiar with the various metals that you can find on the marketplace.
Fine silver and sterling silver are the two most premium types of silver on the market. However, not all silver rings are made with premium silver, which could lead to a situation where you spend too much money for something that isn’t worth it. This guide goes into greater detail about the many types of silver that can be used to create silver rings.
Primary Silver Alloys
There are five distinct silver alloys that rings can be made from, which include:
- Fine silver
- Sterling silver
- Britannia silver
- Non-tarnish silver
- Coin silver
Even the most expensive silver rings are almost never made from 100% silver. When silver is combined with other metals, it becomes a silver alloy. Silver is considered to be a precious metal and is usually combined with non-precious metals. As such, rings with higher silver content will invariably be more expensive for you to purchase.
If you’d like to buy a ring with the highest amount of silver content you can find, look for a ring made from fine silver. These rings are hypoallergenic and consist of 99.9% of pure silver content. Trace elements of copper and similar metals make up 0.1% of the content.
Even though these rings are considerably more expensive than other silver ring types, they aren’t used that often. Pure silver is very soft and easy to scratch, which is why sterling silver is considered by most to be an ideal alternative. A sterling silver ring must have silver content of at least 92.5%.
Britannia silver was popular in England back in the 17th century and was required to have silver content of nearly 96%. Because of having so much silver content, Britannia silver eventually became unpopular as it was easy to scratch and break. It’s still possible to find rings made from Britannia silver in the United Kingdom to this day.
Non-tarnished silver was initially developed back in the 1990’s and is known for having the same amount of silver content as sterling silver. These rings are extremely difficult to tarnish and can be made with non-tarnish alloys like argentium and silvadium. U.S. silver coins are 90% silver and 10% copper.
Silver Coatings and Fake Silver
You can also purchase rings that are coated with silver but made from other materials. In this situation, the ring would have a shiny silver appearance even though the base is made from a more affordable metal. These rings can be silver-filled or silver-plated.
Make sure that you avoid purchasing a fake silver ring if you don’t want to spend too much money. Tibetan silver, tribal silver, and nickel silver are three types of fake silver that rings can be made from. These rings tend to be more intricately detailed and durable than the real alternatives.
If you want to avoid purchasing a fake silver ring, always purchase rings from reputable jewelers and stores that you can trust. If you’re looking for authentic silver rings, you can always reach out to places like Silpada.