Category: Sterling Silver Jewellery

Sterling silver jewellery in South Africa

Solid 925 sterling silver from Aria Jewellery, made in Cape Town and delivered nationwide. One hundred and sixty-six pieces, from silver moon and star studs at R195 to a solid silver curb chain at R18,995.

Silver is where most people start and where a lot of people stay. It costs a fraction of gold, it takes the same finishing, and at R195 to R700 you can build a collection rather than buy one piece. The trade-off is tarnish, which is not damage and takes about a minute to reverse. There is a section on that below.

Shop sterling silver by type

Sterling silver prices

Silver is priced by weight and by the work in the piece. A fine stud is a few grams. A 16mm curb chain is a few hundred.

What 925 actually means

Pure silver is too soft for jewellery, so it is alloyed to 92.5% silver and stamped 925. That stamp is the whole test. Everything in this collection carries it, apart from a small number of gold plated pieces which say so on the product.

Sterling silver is solid metal all the way through, so it can be resized, repaired and polished, and it suits sensitive skin because there is no nickel base underneath. Silver plated jewellery is base metal with a thin silver coating that wears through, exposing what is beneath, which is where green skin and reactions come from. Once plating has worn there is nothing to repair.

Choosing silver for everyday wear

Silver and gold together

Mixing metals stopped being a rule worth following a long time ago. A silver chain with a gold pendant works. Silver stacking rings next to a gold band work. If you want them to sit together deliberately rather than accidentally, keep the widths similar and let one metal lead.

If you would rather match, the same styles run through gold jewellery, and gold plated jewellery sits between the two on price.

Caring for sterling silver

Wear it. Silver tarnishes fastest sitting in a drawer, because the oils from your skin actually slow the reaction down.

Warm water, mild soap, a soft brush and a dry cloth for cleaning. A silver polishing cloth for tarnish. Do not use toothpaste, which is abrasive and will scratch the finish over time.

Take silver off before swimming. Chlorine is harder on it than anything else it will meet.

Put jewellery on last, after perfume, hairspray and cream. Those three do more to dull silver than daily wear does.

Our silver jewellery care guide covers it in more detail.

Delivery

Free insured delivery anywhere in South Africa, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Gqeberha and Bloemfontein. Tracked from our Cape Town workshop to your door.

Questions

Keep looking

More silver. Silver chains, silver rings, silver bracelets, silver earrings, silver pendants and silver bangles.

Gold. Gold jewellery, gold chains and necklaces, gold bracelets, gold earrings and gold plated jewellery.

Guides. Silver jewellery care guide, gold jewellery South Africa and 9ct gold bangles.

Also worth a look. Personalised jewellery, mens jewellery, mens chains and engagement rings.

Or start from the Aria Jewellery homepage.