Silver has long been valued as a precious metal and used in currency, ornaments, flatware and jewelry. It is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal and it has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity for a metal. Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing functional objects. Therefore, silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength while preserving the beauty of the precious metal. Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper.
As the purity of the silver decreases, the problem of corrosion or tarnishing increases. Sodium chloride or common table salt is known to corrode silver-copper alloy, typically seen in silver salt shakers where corrosion appears around the holes in the top.
Silver
Silver has long been valued as a precious metal and used in currency, ornaments, flatware and jewelry. It is a soft, white, lustrous transition metal and it has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity for a metal. Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing functional objects. Therefore, silver is usually
alloyed with copper to give it strength while preserving the beauty of the precious metal.
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper.
As the purity of the silver decreases, the problem of corrosion or tarnishing increases. Sodium chloride or common table salt is known to corrode silver-copper alloy, typically seen in silver salt shakers where corrosion appears around the holes in the top.