![]() ![]() The color of stainless steel jewelry is more of a grayish blue but is highly reflective once it is polished. See also 25 Non-Metal Wedding Bands for Unconventional Couples ![]() It also does not oxidize due to the presence of chromium which protects it. It is a very strong material and will not scratch or dent easily. One of the many benefits of stainless steel is that it can be made to resemble other metals such as sterling silver or white gold. A stainless steel ring will have an excellent resistance to corrosion and is much more durable than sterling silver. Stainless steel is a widely used material and has many different applications including jewelry. It may also contain other elements such as carbon and other metals or non metals depending on its intended purpose. Stainless steel is also an alloy containing mostly iron but with at least 11% chromium. While on the surface it is difficult to tell a sterling silver ring from a stainless steel ring and both are alloys there are large compositional differences between them. Requires more care and maintenance to retain its appearance What Are The Physical Characteristics Of Stainless Steel?.Not as durable as stainless steel rings.It is still soft enough to be scratched or dented.Sterling silver with a copper alloy can tarnish if not cared for properly.By adding palladium sterling silver rings can be made stronger and more durable Cons Of Sterling Silver Rings.Sterling silver rings can be polished or coated with rhodium for a high gloss finish.As it contains a semi precious metal it is more valuable than stainless steel.For more tarnish resistant sterling silver metals such as platinum and zinc can be added as alloys.It is still malleable enough to allow intricate designs and resizing.Sterling silver is stronger than pure silver which is too soft to be practical as jewelry.Due to this malleability it is also easier to resize and reshape a sterling silver ring. It is also used to make musical instruments and of course, jewelry.Īs it is still quite a soft metal, sterling silver can be crafted into beautifully intricate pieces of jewelry including rings. Sterling silver is used to make lots of everyday objects such as fine tableware including cutlery, coffee and tea service sets. When it is polished it is not as reflective as stainless steel and has a softer shine. The color of a sterling silver ring will be more white but with some yellow hues due to the presence of the copper in the alloy. For extra strength and durability, some jewelers add palladium to sterling silver. These metals add strength to the sterling silver but reduce the chances of tarnishing.Īdding rhodium as a coating or polish gives sterling silver a brilliant, high gloss finish. For this reason other metals such as zinc, germanium and platinum are often used instead. ![]() However, when copper is added to silver the resulting sterling silver is prone to tarnishing. Therefore metals such as copper are added to it to increase the strength and durability of the silver. The reason for adding other metals to silver is that by itself silver is too soft and malleable. For this reason sterling silver is hallmarked with a 925 stamp. In this case, sterling silver is 92.5% by weight of silver with the other 7.5% being other metals such as copper. Sterling silver is an alloy which means it is a combination of two or more metals. This includes looking at the composition of both and what that means for their suitability for jewelry and their durability. What Are The Physical Characteristics Of Sterling Silver?īefore deciding whether you are going to choose either a sterling silver or stainless steel ring it is important to distinguish between them. We will examine what you need to think about before deciding between these two metals including their physical characteristics, how they differ and whether they are both good for jewelry making. There are a lot of things to consider when you are choosing a ring. We are going to look at two options, sterling silver versus stainless steel rings and ask is sterling silver better? ![]()
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