Silver is considered white metal by the trade, and its gleaming white can complement any gemstone. Polished pure silver shines more brightly than any other metal on earth. It makes up only about 75 per billion of the earth’s crust. Silver is durable, malleable and ductile.

Silver does tarnish, which is a mild form of corrosion. Pure silver is too soft to be practical for jewelry, so it’s usually mixed witha small amount of copper without taking away its brilliant shine. Sterling silver is by far the most popular silver alloy in jewelry. It’s defined as being 925 parts silver and 75 parts copper. To be called “silver” in the US, an alloy must be at least 92.5 percent silver.