Sterling silver, also called fine silver, is a beautifully lustrous cool-toned precious metal favored in fine jewelry among other products. The most reflective of all metals (excluding mercury), sterling silver looks stunning by itself and brings out the best hues in an array of colorful gemstones.

Sterling silver can be polished to a higher sheen than platinum. In fact, Ag, the chemical symbol for silver, comes from a word that means “white and shining.” The surface of silver can boast that shiny, polished appearance, or can be brushed, satin, matte, sandblasted, antiqued or oxidized (chemically blackened).

In order to be called sterling silver, a metal must be made up of a minimum of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% alloy (meaning other metals), including but not limited to copper and nickel. The alloy is added to pure silver to make the metal more durable, tougher and harder. Sterling silver is designated a fineness of “925.” Pieces with sterling silver may be marked “sterling.”

Caring for Sterling Silver
Sterling silver becomes tarnished as the result of a natural chemical process that occurs when sterling silver is exposed to chemicals in the air, rubber, wool and latex. Humidity also plays a role in accelerating tarnishing. It's easy to keep your sterling silver sparkling, though, by taking a few steps to prevent tarnish and other wear and tear.

Mystic Topaz:

With a rainbow play of colors, mystic topaz flashes mostly green and purple hues with gorgeous streaks of red and blue. It is a natural topaz that has been color-enhanced by coating it with a fine layer of metal atoms in a process called “vacuum deposition.” The result is a shimmer of colors across the surface of the stone. This “fire” has made mystic topaz an incredibly popular gemstone. In fact, with a rank on the Mohs Scale of 8.0, it is a wonderful stone for jewelry. Look for mystic topaz under a variety of descriptive names, including mystic fire, rainbow topaz or titanium topaz.