Simple Buying Guide for Sterling Silver Jewelry

Sterling silver is a beautiful and versatile precious metal. The cool neutral tone of sterling silver jewelry goes with just about everything, sealing the winning look for any outfit, whether it’s professional, casual, or formal wear.

Unlike plated silver, sterling silver doesn’t wear down over time as it’s over 90% pure silver compounded with alloys (usually copper) for durability. Silver is extremely hard to use in its natural state while sterling silver retains the quality of the metal but with addition of copper and/or steel to make it easier to craft into jewelry.

While you need to be mindful to not get silver jewelry wet, it’s a metal that “likes” to be worn in that frequent wear prevents silver from being tarnished and darkened. Despite the risk of tarnishing that gives it a harder appearance, silver is an extremely soft metal. The softness and malleability of sterling silver makes it ideal for handmade jewelry with high levels of detail such as the Sterling Sea Fan Pendant Necklace. This gorgeous vintage-style necklace is highly detailed with a large setting meant for the sand of your choice, and while sterling silver is a soft metal the alloys make it hard enough to hold up the large shape of the sea fan without requiring plating.

Delicate handmade bracelets like the Triple Sandglobe Bracelet are well-suited to sterling silver because the softness makes it easier to bend to fit different wrist shapes even after it is done being crafted. With your choice of up to three different sands from around the world of your choice or from our Sand Bank, the sterling silver setting goes with every color! Sterling silver bracelets make a fashionable addition to any outfit, and the metal also works well for earrings.

Sterling silver makes an excellent foundation for earrings where the metal is less visible than the stone such as the Teardrop Leverback Earrings. Sterling silver earrings add a thrilling elegance to any outfit and matches well with both other sterling silver jewelry and fashion jewelry.

Dune Jewelry uses sterling silver with .925 purity so you can be assured that your unique handmade jewelry is made of quality materials. The milky sheen of pure sterling silver is reminiscent of walking on the beach at night, making it the perfect companion to jewels made of your favorite sands.