Jewelry Tips: The most plentiful of precious metals, silver, is also the most widely used. It was the money standard until the 19th Century in most countries, and almost every 21st Century home has some silver jewelry, silver-plated candlesticks, photographic film, silver coins, etc. Silver must be alloyed for hardness; the best-known alloy is sterling silver, that’s any alloy 925 fine or 92.5 percent silver (plus 7.5 percent base metal). Though used most in money or castings, sterling silver jewelry is a growing fashion trend. Jewelry marked “Alpaca Mexico” is generally less pure than sterling–most often around 900 fine. “Jewelry silver” is a specific alloy, 80 percent silver 20 percent copper.

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Jewelry Tips: The purity of gold is most often measured in fineness, but Americans still use the karat (abbreviated “k’” or “kt”) in jewelry: 24k gold is pure gold (1000 fine); it is too soft to use as jewelry [but excellent for bribery, smuggling and similar enterprises']. 18k gold (750 fine or 75 percent pure) is softer than 14k gold (585 fine, 58.3 percent pure), but has a deeper color. 10k gold (416 fine or just under 42 percent) is the legal minimum; lesser alloys may be marketed as gold tone but not as gold. Gold jewelry imported from outside the USA may use fineness instead of karats to describe its purity.

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