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Once upon a time, Sterling silver jewellery was seen as a substitute for their more expensive golden counterparts. This opinion has since been truly eradicated, as gold has remained congruent with the rich, classical jewellery designs whilst the more ductile and adaptable Sterling silver has responded to a vast variety of styles and textures to complement today’s continuously changing, fashion trends.
The beautiful bright silver luster reflects a new sense of femininity and sophisticated sexiness. The fashion sensitivity of Sterling silver exudes an aura of drama and with so much diversity of styles, the selection at Yellobox gives you the dimension to display your personal style and panache.
Capturing the glow of contemporary looks, our Flirtation and Purity ranges illustrate the perfect relationship between the rich, luminous quality of Sterling silver and gemstones, crystals and pearls. Married together, our Sterling silver ranges radiate a variety of hues, from pinks to blues to the mysterious glows of the Abalone shell. We even have many examples of how this wondrous metal complements a selection of wooden and leather materials to create a contemporary jewellery piece.
As the strong correlation between contemporary fashion and jewellery design develops, there is often the aspect of quality that becomes neglected. There are so many substitutes that some shoppers are influenced by the look and price and overlook the brilliant polish and durability of Sterling silver. At Yellobox, we believe in offering you both- quality Sterling silver at the best price. Consequently, we guarantee that all silver on our site is Sterling silver. As such, you will find a Hallmark or .925 engraved on all our silver jewellery. We do not believe in using base metals to cheapen our products as many other jewellers are currently doing.
Please click on any of the following links to learn more about Sterling silver.
To ensure our customers are offered the most contemporary looks, Yellobox products are sourced from many regions throughout the world, though not at the expense of quality. We guarantee that all our silver is manufactured using a Sterling silver metal alloy.
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver, consisting of 92.5% pure silver. The remaining 7.5% is composed of other metal alloys, usually copper and sometimes zinc.
If Yellobox claims to offer the best quality silver possible, some may wonder why we do not choose pure 100% silver. The answer is simple…
In ancient times, pure silver was used for many uses, including jewellery pieces and utensils. It is relatively malleable metal and consequently was easy to mould into the desired shapes. This property however, was later considered a weakness, as the metal was quite soft and prone to losing its shape in time. As a remedy, it was necessary to increase the strength and wear resistance of silver, for it to be suitable as a jewellery piece.
The 7.5% alloys used within Sterling silver are beneficial as they make the metal more rigid whilst preserving its ductility and status as having a high precious metal content. Only this recipe produces the admirable qualities of the Sterling silver used in Yellobox jewellery pieces. Many competitors add inexpensive base metal alloys, which steals the goodness from the metal and weakens its resistance to tarnishing.
Interestingly, the term, ‘Sterling silver’ (as explained in What does “Sterling silver” mean?), was said to have emerged in England by the thirteenth century. Originally, theories suggest that the metal was primarily used in the local currency of an area in Germany known as, “The Easterling”.
This area was formed in the twelfth century and consisted of five towns in the east of Germany, whose inhabitants were known as the, “Hanseatic League”. In later years, this league formed contact with England and engaged in considerable commerce. For the payment regarding English cattle and grain, the Hanseatic League used their local currency (‘Easterling silver’ coins). It was not long before the English realised the high quality and rigidity of the 92.5% silver coins and had often referred to them as, “The coins of the Easterlings”.
During his reign, King Henry II made the successful attempt to adopt these coins as the standard currency for England. “Tealby Pennies” refer to the coins that were produced by many metal refiners, imported from the Easterling to England. The previously exclusive, “Coins of the Easterlings” were introduced into English currency by 1158 and soon thereafter the “Easterling silver” became the main silver alloy throughout England. In conclusion, the original term “Easterling silver” was soon abbreviated to the more commonly used term, “Sterling silver”.
Although not exclusively, the pound sterling formed part of the currency in the British Empire from the latter twelfth century until the mid twentieth century. Currently Sterling silver is used for jewellery, flatware and plate. It is a respected metal and you may find many examples of why here at Yellobox.
As regards functionality, the superiority of Sterling silver over pure silver has been proved (Pure silver versus Sterling silver), however as the purity of silver increases, the threat of tarnishing decreases.
In explanation of this, pure silver does not react with oxygen or water at room temperatures however the metal alloy in Sterling silver (e.g. copper or zinc) can react with oxygen in the air. This may result in slight corrosion over time so it is therefore advisable to look for quality and buy Sterling silver from Yellobox rather than competitors who have base metals added to their silver.
Silver is reactive to sulphur and the formation of the resulting silver sulphide creates a shade of black tarnish over time. In some cases, this develops on fine details of the jewellery piece and can be appreciated due to its unique and antique look. More often than not however, a lush luminous and polished shine is the optimum for most contemporary jewellery and there is some advise that one could follow to retain the ‘new’ look.
As previously explained in our What is ‘Pewter’? section, the metal pewter is composed of a high but varying amount of tin. This percentage of the overall weight is directly related to the quality of the metal alloy, which rises as the proportion of tin to other hardening metals does.
Concrete evidence has proven that pewter items have been branded or etched to represent their quality since many centuries ago. These markings were most commonly made as representations of the city of origin along with the manufacturer’s mark. As time and the use of pewter progressed however, many variations had evolved through the use of personal symbols and the need for a standard was acknowledged.
In 1478, the need was met by the ‘Worshipful Company of Pewterers’, which was established to ascertain control over the expanding pewter trade. Inspectors from this society travelled all over England, paying visits to workshops and testing pewter items for their composition of tin. On completing apprenticeship, pewter manufacturers were required to have registered a ‘touch mark’. This was to be stamped on their pewter products that adhered to a standard of quality it was to represent. Consequently, if the quality failed to meet this standard due to a high level of lead for example, the manufacturer would incur a fine and perhaps have their production rights removed.
Today, marks are not formally controlled or regulated and consequently, there are variations in the nature of marks that manufacturers currently use on their pewter items. With no reflection on the quality of the metal, pewter is often found without a mark or with only the mark of the company manufacturer. Many products display an increasingly wide diversity of intriguing letters, numbers and symbols that represent clues as to its maker, origin and age.
In an attempt to assemble or identify a pattern of the most common features of marks used, the average British pewter may employ one or more of the following types of marks:
As explained previously, silver often develops a dark shade on the surface called tarnish. At the same time, it can achieve the most brilliant polish of any metal. In order to help you retain the best of your Sterling silver and limit the intensity of tarnish, Yellobox has the following points of advise to offer:
Regular cleaning can also help prevent the formation of silver sulphide or tarnish. It is advisable to follow the points below in order to maintain best practice:
