Sterling Silver Jewelry Supplies

Most of the jewelry parts and raw metals we sell online at Halstead are sterling silver. It is a popular and affordable white metal that is easy to work with. Jewelry artists love the versatility of sterling. It can be formed, textured, cast and soldered. It takes beautiful surface patinas to achieve a darker "antiqued" appearance. With depletion gilding, sterling silver can also be enameled or fused with gold foil in techniques like keum-boo.

Many different types of silver are used to make jewelry around the world. In the United States, the standard is "sterling", which is an alloy of 92.5% pure silver plus copper and other trace metals. It is sometimes called ".925 silver" because of this formula. Jewelers rarely use 100% silver because it is soft and will not hold up to everyday wear. Read our article at the left for more information on different kinds of silver metal.

Quality sterling silver jewelry will last a lifetime and only require surface cleaning to maintain. Plus, the metal is widely used in jewelry making, so it can be sourced as findings, chain and mill product in many forms for use in ornamental designs.

All sterling silver will eventually tarnish. Tarnish is a natural reaction of the copper in the alloy with common elements in the air and water that surround us every day. The metal is easy to clean with readily available silver cleaning supplies.

Sterling silver is used in a wide range of jewelry styles and price points. It is favored by many middle market designers because it is a high quality, lustrous material that is also affordable for most people. However, even high-end designers sometimes favor the metal for its unique color and working properties.

Finished jewelry items that are constructed from sterling silver components should bear a .925 or sterling silver quality stamp somewhere on the piece. Individual findings and parts are not required to be stamped because of surface area limitations and the fact that stamping individual findings would detract from their appearance once combined.

At Halstead, we offer thousands of sterling silver jewelry parts for sale online at wholesale prices. Shop now using our primary menu links at the top of the page or some of the most popular sections shown in the visual buttons above.

Precious metal materials on the wholesale market are priced each day based on commodity market benchmarks. Most people understand the system best when you compare it to the price of gasoline at the pump. The exact price each day fluctuates based on supply and demand for the commodity. Gold and silver derivatives work the same way. Read more about how we establish market-based pricing each day.