Sterling silver facts for kids

Sterling silver is a special type of silver that's mixed with other metals. It's an alloy, which means it's a blend of different metals. For sterling silver, it's mostly silver (92.5%) and a smaller amount of other metals (7.5%), usually copper. This mix makes the silver stronger and more useful for making things like jewelry, forks, and pitchers.

Pure silver, which is 99.9% silver, is very soft. It's too soft to make strong objects that last a long time. That's why silver is usually mixed with copper. Copper makes the silver much stronger, but it still keeps its beautiful shine and can be shaped easily. Sometimes, other metals like germanium, zinc, or platinum are used instead of copper. These metals can help the silver resist tarnish, which is when silver gets a dull, dark coating. Newer types of sterling silver, like argentium silver, even have germanium added to help them stay shiny longer.

The first official rule for sterling silver came out a very long time ago, in 1275. A law made by King Edward I said exactly how much pure silver should be in coins. This rule helped make sure that silver money was always of good quality.

Today, sterling silver items often have special marks called hallmarks. These marks are like stamps that show the silver meets the official sterling standard. They are usually put on by officials to prove the silver's quality.

Images for kids

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  A fancy pitcher made by Tiffany & Co. around 1871.

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  Examples of hallmarks found on British sterling silver.

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  Pair of sterling silver forks.

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  Norman silver pennies changed designs every three years. This two-star design, issued by William the Conqueror, is from 1077–1080.

See also

In Spanish: Plata esterlina para niños