SilverSource has always guaranteed, in writing, the solid sterling silver purity of every single item we sell. We back this guarantee with consistent laboratory assay-testing of all our products, and our longstanding spotless reputation as the leading silver jewelry wholesaler in the trade. In fact, to the best of our knowledge SilverSource was the first wholesaler to make an absolute guarantee of purity, in writing, on every item we sell.

Silver is a lustrous, white, malleable and ductile metal and can be laminated until it becomes transparent. In order to be worked properly, silver is alloyed with copper in variable. Sterling silver is silver with a fineness of 925, that is, sterling is 925 parts per thousand (or 92.5%) silver and 75 parts per thousand (or 7.5%) copper.

Yes, all our silver is 92.5% pure (designating it sterling). We only use sterling silver .925 in all our silver jewelry. It is Indian made, handcrafted wholesale silver jewelry from Jaipur.

All imported sterling silver is required to be marked .925, it may be stamped in the metal or if the item is to small it may only have a tag attached or inside the packaging. Domestic jewelry made in the U.S. however, is not required to be stamped or tagged.

Sterling silver items that are electroplated with a rhodium finish must still be designated as "Sterling silver" or one of its equivalent legal markings. For more detail on this topic visit the www.ftc.gov web site for specific guidelines. This article copyright 2003 by Metal Arts Specialties. All rights reserved. This material may not be duplicated or copied without expressed written permission. Thank-you

All our Sterling silver jewellery is stamped with the fineness mark 925 which guarantees that the jewellery you are buying is of the highest quality and complies with current hallmarking law. See our jewellery FAQ page if you still have more questions.

Sterling silver comprises 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% various other metal compounds. Sterling may also be marked 925. Silver jewelry marked 940, 950, 960, 970, or 980 are of higher silver content than is sterling. Many of the famous jewelry manufacturers in Taxco utilized high content silver for jewelry because of the fact that it was less likely to tarnish, the glow was of a more subtle nature, and the color of the silver was slightly different.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation says that... "One Person Can Make a Difference - This year, we celebrate nearly 25 years of patient advocacy, building awareness and investing $630 million in breast cancer research, education, screening and treatment programs. " www.komen.org I send all orders out within 24 hours if paid by credit card online and in stock merchandise only. Except around holidays lead time increases to 3-5 days so please order early.

Fine silver is pure silver (0.999 or 99.9% pure). Sterling silver is 92.5% silver to which is added other metals, primarily copper, as alloys. These other metals make the sterling harder than fine silver. Fine silver will tarnish, but not as fast as sterling. It doesn't tend to go as thoroughly black as sterling can go. Point of interest, silver does not "oxidize" - it is a sulphur reation, rather than an oxygen reaction.

Yes, we can polish silver plated items. But if your silver plated dish has much of the silver plating worn off, we cannot replate this for you. We can polish what silver plating is left.

Silver-plated copper wire shouldn't be used in any equipment that may be exposed to humidity over 50%. The silver reacts with the copper and causes the copper to turn into rust ("red plague"). Yes, this can only happen in the presence of oxygen, but it is very easy to "nick" a wire when stripping, even with the best tools and training. I have seen lengths of silver-plated copper wire in aircraft that still had continuity but had increased in resistance to several kOhms per foot.