Diamonds • Precious Gemstones • Jewelry • Gemology

Silver (Ag)

• Pure silver has a specific gravity of 10.5
• Fine Silver is 99.9% pure
• Britannia Silver is 95.84% pure
• Mexican Silver is 95% pure and has 5% copper
• Sterling Silver must be at least 92.5% pure and is harder than pure
• U.S Coin Silver is 90% pure
• Vermeil(Vur-MAY) is sterling silver with gold plating.

Silver is:

• Just over 1/2 the weight of pure gold
,
• Similar in weight to 14K gold
• Less than 1/2 the weight of platinum

Silver has cost advantages, especially in opulent settings.

Some persons who are allergic to the alloying elements in golds may not be allergic to silver.

Generally, silver is too soft for setting diamonds.