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Sterling Silver Ring with weird markings...



 
 
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  #1  
Old June 16th 04, 11:11 AM
GreenSlimer
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Default Sterling Silver Ring with weird markings...

Hi,

I recently bought a sterling silver ring, which is properly stamped as
..925, and there's no other part of the ring that's not silver.. and on
the band and around the face of it that surround the stone, are
starting to develop little stains that are the color of a very light
penny.
This started happening after I washed it using Infusium-23 shampoo..
with a toothbrush (to get to the hard to reach spots..)
It doesn't look that bad and it's pretty much only noticeable if you
really look at it carefully.

The areas this is forming is indeed sterling silver and not some cheap
copper or whatever metal. Maybe this is from some of the alloys
seeping through or the polish fading off?

Still something makes no sense.

I tried taking pics with it.. but with the camera and all that I have,
it isn't showing up right at all.
Ads
  #2  
Old June 17th 04, 02:40 AM
yellowcake
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Default

hi,
I wouldn't worry about the marks. Sterling silver contains lots of
copper and when heated, the combination of metals and oxygen forms an
oxide, known as 'fire stain'. This can be avoided if the piece is
shielded from oxygen whilst hot. however if it does occur, an easy way
to disguise it is to plate it with fine (pure) silver. If this is the
case with your ring, the layer of fine silver may have started to wear
off when you brushed it (pure silver is ridiculously soft). The ring
can always be re-plated.


(GreenSlimer) wrote in message
. ..
Hi,

I recently bought a sterling silver ring, which is properly stamped as
.925, and there's no other part of the ring that's not silver.. and on
the band and around the face of it that surround the stone, are
starting to develop little stains that are the color of a very light
penny.
This started happening after I washed it using Infusium-23 shampoo..
with a toothbrush (to get to the hard to reach spots..)
It doesn't look that bad and it's pretty much only noticeable if you
really look at it carefully.

The areas this is forming is indeed sterling silver and not some cheap
copper or whatever metal. Maybe this is from some of the alloys
seeping through or the polish fading off?

Still something makes no sense.

I tried taking pics with it.. but with the camera and all that I have,
it isn't showing up right at all.

  #5  
Old June 18th 04, 04:47 AM
Peter W. Rowe
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Default

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 20:40:58 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Fred Mason"
wrote:


Sterling silver, by law, must be .925 silver and .075 copper, any other
alloy is not sterling silver.

Fred


Actually, Fred, in the U.S. that's not true. U.S. stamping laws dictate only
the precious metal content as being 92.5 percent silver. it does not specify
the remaining 7.5 percent. There are several alloys marketed these days which
subsitute some or all of the copper for other metals, usually in order to deal
with firescale problems in castings. They can legally be marked sterling, or
"925" in the U.S. Other countries may vary, however. I'm not sure whether
British law allows other than copper in sterling. they might not... (how 'bout
it, you brits?)

However, you are correct that the long time standard composition of sterling
silver is silver with only copper added. The alloy is named according to
British traditions that gave rise to our current alloys, and virtually any
sterling silver made until about fifteen years ago was alloyed with copper, as
the firescale free alloys are relatively recent developments. The copper free,
or reduced copper alloys are most commonly found these days in mass produced
cast jewelry, rather than fabricated, handmade, or stamped items.

Peter
  #6  
Old June 18th 04, 03:52 PM
Jon Freeman
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"Peter W. Rowe" pwrowe@ixDOTnetcomDOTcom wrote

On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 20:40:58 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Fred Mason"
wrote:


Sterling silver, by law, must be .925 silver and .075 copper, any other
alloy is not sterling silver.

Fred


Actually, Fred, in the U.S. that's not true. U.S. stamping laws dictate

only
the precious metal content as being 92.5 percent silver. it does not

specify
the remaining 7.5 percent. There are several alloys marketed these days

which
subsitute some or all of the copper for other metals, usually in order to

deal
with firescale problems in castings. They can legally be marked sterling,

or
"925" in the U.S. Other countries may vary, however. I'm not sure

whether
British law allows other than copper in sterling. they might not... (how

'bout
it, you brits?)


I'd need to research as I've not read anything in a while and am only toying
with the idea of jewelry again... but last time I had a play as a hobby, I
remember the subject of sliver and alergies cropping up elsewhere. One point
that was raised then was that sterling silver could contain nickel.
Regardless of what our (UK) stirling silver may contain for the 7.5%, there
are EU regulations over nickel.

Jon


  #7  
Old June 18th 04, 03:55 PM
Peter W. Rowe
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On Fri, 18 Jun 2004 07:52:28 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Jon Freeman"
wrote:

I'd need to research as I've not read anything in a while and am only toying
with the idea of jewelry again... but last time I had a play as a hobby, I
remember the subject of sliver and alergies cropping up elsewhere. One point
that was raised then was that sterling silver could contain nickel.
Regardless of what our (UK) stirling silver may contain for the 7.5%, there
are EU regulations over nickel.

Jon


Sterling silver alloys do not normally contain nickel, but nickel is indeed an
issue with a lot of finished sterling silver items. The problem is most
commonly one of an electroplated layer put OVER the sterling, to protect it from
oxidation. Rhodium is the common one, or platings like it. These usually
requiire preplating with a layer usually first of copper, and then of nickel,
before the rhodium outer layer. It's that plated nickel layer that is the most
common cause of nickel problems in sterling jewelry.

Peter
  #8  
Old June 19th 04, 03:30 AM
yellowcake
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Default

Hi,
Not sure about the laws regarding Sterling silver over here in
England. Our assay marks generally only specify it as .925 , so
presumably the rest can be anything. True Sterling silver however is
always considered the alloy of .925 silver, the rest copper, as this
was the standard coinage alloy adopted in the 12th or 13th century,
from a place called Easterling, Germany.


Peter W. Rowe pwrowe@ixDOTnetcomDOTcom wrote in message
. ..
On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 20:40:58 -0700, in rec.crafts.jewelry "Fred Mason"
wrote:


Sterling silver, by law, must be .925 silver and .075 copper, any other
alloy is not sterling silver.

Fred


Actually, Fred, in the U.S. that's not true. U.S. stamping laws dictate only
the precious metal content as being 92.5 percent silver. it does not specify
the remaining 7.5 percent. There are several alloys marketed these days which
subsitute some or all of the copper for other metals, usually in order to deal
with firescale problems in castings. They can legally be marked sterling, or
"925" in the U.S. Other countries may vary, however. I'm not sure whether
British law allows other than copper in sterling. they might not... (how 'bout
it, you brits?)

However, you are correct that the long time standard composition of sterling
silver is silver with only copper added. The alloy is named according to
British traditions that gave rise to our current alloys, and virtually any
sterling silver made until about fifteen years ago was alloyed with copper, as
the firescale free alloys are relatively recent developments. The copper free,
or reduced copper alloys are most commonly found these days in mass produced
cast jewelry, rather than fabricated, handmade, or stamped items.

Peter

  #9  
Old June 19th 04, 03:30 AM
Andy Parker
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Posts: n/a
Default

UK Assay requirement for Sterlin silver is 925 parts silver per 1000,
no mention of other components.
Solder must be 650 parts per 1000 and not be "used for weighting or
filling".
EU nickel directive is more complex and relates not to content but to
amount released per unit of area - unmeasurable by all but a lab I
suspect.

Andy Parker, Agate House Lapidary
Ulverston, Cumbria, England

www.agatehouse.co.uk
Tel: 01229 584023
 




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