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

Among the "white" decorative platings, rhodium is considered "best in class" in terms of toughness and wear resistance. Most items plated with at least .5 microns of rhodium are usually more scratch resistant than prior to being plated! Electroplated rhodium has a hardness ranging from 400-550 vickers which makes it very resistant to incidental abrasions.

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.

A:Although silver in its natural form is harder than gold, it is still considered too soft for use in fine jewelry, and so it is alloyed with other metals to give it strength. Sterling silver is composed of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper, which makes the metal harder and more durable. In addition to its relative strength, silver is also the most malleable and ductile of all metals.

Rhodium can be plated onto just about any metal surface. Primarily, our customers utilize rhodium to plate metals that are easily tarnished such as sterling silver, nickel, and copper alloys. back to the top

With the exception of nickel and silver, any object plated with less than .10 microns of rhodium will eventually discolor due to the corrosive oxides that are "rising" through the microscopic pores within the rhodium's surface. This type of surface tarnish will eventually appear "yellowish' bright to the observer and is commonly found on decorative items such as jewelry chains and bracelets. Constant contact with skin oils and chemicals help accelerate surface discoloring.

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, however the successful plating of hollow parts is probably the most difficult technical task for the master plater. Hollow parts have the best chance of being plated if they have drainage holes in them to allow the bath solution to freely drain away after plating. We would need to evaluate the object to give you a better idea of cost relative to what can be achieved.

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.

Yes, all our silver is guaranteed to be at least 92.5% pure (designating it sterling) and all our stones are guaranteed to be authentic. Shop for wholesale sterling silver jewelry.