What is Sterling Silver and what are its uses?
Sterling silver is an alloy of 92.5% silver and other metals, typically copper. While fine silver is designated as being 99.9% silver, sterling silver has a minimum requirement of 92.5%. Sterling silver is commonly utilized in the creation of useful everyday household items and due to the relative softness of fine silver, copper or other harder metals are added to increase the hardness and strength of the items crafted in silver. As sterling silver is prone to tarnishing due to its metal composition and whereas copper is susceptible to the tarnishing, other elements are utilized to create the alloy as well including germanium, zinc, platinum, silicon, and boron.
Sterling silver’s history can be traced back to 12th century Europe in an area that is now northern Germany and its use in England can be traced to around the same time as it was subject to office assay during the reign of Henry II. The first legal definition of sterling silver appears during the reign of Edward I, Longshanks of the movie Braveheart fame, where it was specified that 12 Troy ounces of silver for coinage should contain 11 ounces 2+1⁄4 pennyweights of silver and 17+3⁄4 pennyweights of alloy, with 20 pennyweights to the Troy ounce. While this was not precisely the 92.5% sterling silver benchmark established today, it was very close.
Sterling silver became prominent in colonial America as it was utilized heavily for currency and household goods. It is estimated that between 1634 and 1776, some 500 silversmiths created items in the “New World” based on the standard set by the London Goldsmith company whereas sterling silver consisted of 91.5–92.5% by weight silver and 8.5–7.5 wt% copper. Paul Revere, a core symbol of American Patriotism, was considered one of the best silversmiths of sterling silver of his time.
From approximately 1840 to 1940, sterling silver flatware became socially required when setting a table for any social gathering involving food. Many companies rose to meet the demand during this time period, which was particularly pronounced between 1870 and 1920. The arrival of World War 2 saw incomes decline and materials reallocated towards the war. It was a time of scarcity and suffering and sterling silver flatware began to fall out of grace.
Today, sterling silver continues to be utilized in coins, jewelry, flatware, and household goods, but due to silver’s antimicrobial properties it has also been incorporated into surgical and medical instruments. Lastly, sterling silver is utilized in some brasswind manufacturers, such as the flute and the saxophone, as the sound is considered superior to alternatives.
As many in the silver stacking and precious metals investing community are aware, the rise in the demand for silver by investors eager to get their hands on hard money in a time of rampant inflation due to reckless, incompetent, and intentionally destructive monetary policy has led to an increased interest in sterling silver as it may offer the opportunity to acquire a good amount of silver, with its 92.5% silver composition, at lower prices than buying fine silver. Sterling silver’s importance in society is reflective of the underlying intrinsic value of silver to humanity and why silver truly is real money.
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