I’ve wondered for some time how to justify the price of my jewelry and to explain the difference in quality between my designs and the designs of other handcrafted jewelry designers.

I’ve decided for myself that even though I could use cheaper base metals to produce my jewelry pieces, I would not want to sacrifice the value and the quality of my jewelry. Therefore, I’m using only sterling silver and copper as main materials in all my designs.

I finally found a good explanation about the difference between sterling silver and silver plated and hope that by sharing this information, I’ll also help my customers in their future jewelry purchases. The answer comes from SilverHeaven.com:

“The major difference that will be immediately noticed is in the price of the item. Sterling items are much more expensive, but they will hold on to their value over time. Silver plated items are far cheaper, but the items become worthless very quickly. In terms of how the items feel, sterling items are generally lighter than silver plated items of the same size. This is due to the inherent value of the silver – leading to using less of the metal in the manufacturing process. Silver plating is a chemical process that adds a very thin layer of silver to the item, which is made of a different metal. This allows the manufacturer to make heavier items out of cheaper metals.”