Archive for the ‘Silver Jewelry QA’ Category
Colloidal Silver Generators
Colloidal silver is a more purified form of silver than what was used centuries ago. Colloidal silver consists of tiny silver particles suspended in a liquid base. This colloid is created by electrical impulses introduced by colloidal silver generators in a process called “electromagnetism.”
Colloidal silver generators produce electrical charges. This causes a magnetic reaction within the liquid base, causing the silver particles to become electrically-charged, and thus able to resist the normal action of gravity. As a result, these silver particles remain suspended in the water, making them easy for the body to absorb.
Since much of the significant fluid in the human body is actually colloids, proponents of colloidal silver believe the best, most beneficial form of silver for the body is colloidal. It should be noted that there is no empirical evidence yet to prove the benefits of silver colloids produced from colloidal silver generators. At the very least, they may be sold only as supplements, and any therapeutic or medicinal claims they have are made without United States FDA approval. Nevertheless, many silver products have already gained the approval of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Colloidal silver generators and the colloidal silver products they produce are quite legal. The FDA forbids the sale of silver colloids as over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, but they may be bought as dietary supplements.
Most health food stores carry several brands of colloidal silver, and prices of these are gradually beginning to drop. Still, it is possible to spend as much as $10/oz. or more for true colloidal silver. Colloidal silver generators can produce the same amount for much less cost. And they can do it in your home.
Kinds of Colloidal Silver
First, consider the kind of colloidal silver you want. Of all the products on the market, there are three main types:
- Ionic silver
- Silver protein
- True colloidal silver
Of these three, only true colloidal silver is both safe and effective.
Other silver products are inferior in terms of quality. They contain very low concentrations of silver particles, and it is the silver particles that have antimicrobial properties. Also, these products have silver particles that are too large. They can collect and be deposited easily, thus causing Argyria, a side effect that turns the skin a bluish-gray color.
Since true colloidal silver is far less available than inferior products that only claim to be colloidal silver, you may wish to produce your own true colloidal silver solution at home with colloidal silver generators.
Where Can I Get Colloidal Silver Generators?
1. Make Your Own Colloidal Silver Generators
By making it yourself, you will end up with true colloidal silver. The simplest way to make real colloidal silver at home is by the low voltage electrolysis (LVE) method. A few batteries are connected to silver electrodes and placed in a glass of water. This process causes small particles of silver to become a coherent mass that leaves the electrodes and enters the water.
Though deceptively simple, this method is easy to do wrong. If you do it wrong, you will end up with inferior colloidal silver.
Read more detail about making your own colloidal silver generators at http://www.ColloidalSilverInformation.com
2. Buy Simple Colloidal Silver Generators
Simple colloidal silver generators are extremely easy to use. The electrodes are built-in, so you will not have alligator clips to hold loose electrodes - alligator clips that sometimes must be continually adjusted and may short out.
Simple commercial generators are likely to have a non-conductive, non-leaching generating bottle to protect the electrodes, making the generator easy to handle and store without damage and without loss of parts.
Find a list of simple colloidal silver generators at http://www.ColloidalSilverInformation.com
3. Buy Deluxe Colloidal Silver Generators
Most people do not need a deluxe version of the colloidal silver generators. There is little difference in their operation or in the quality of colloidal silver produced. Manufacturers make various claims to push these deluxe models, which yield greater profits. Some promise that all you need to do is fill them with water and press a button - much as you would operate a simple humidifier.
If you are not comfortable with do-it-yourself projects, commercial - even deluxe - colloidal silver generators may be for you. Most people, however, will be readily able to make their own generators. Using only a few pieces of pure silver wire (0.999%), batteries, connecting wires, and distilled water, they can manufacture colloidal silver at home.
Six common questions about sterling silver jewelry
How do I clean sterling silver jewelry?
It depends. Usually, it is sufficient to use a jewelry cloth (with two layers of cloths in different colors) that you can get from a jewelry accessory store. Don’t use any hard object to clean sterling silver jewelry; even paper towel could scratch the surface. You should rub any dirt off using a jewelry cloth, not fingernails. Silver-dip is another commonly used sterling silver jewelry cleaner, which can also be obtained from jewelry store. The entire silver jewelry is immerged in the solution for half a minute to a minute and then rinsed with water. Make sure the silver jewelry is not plated with any other metal before using the silver-dip or the plating will be damaged.
Where do I store sterling silver jewelry?
It is very important to store sterling silver jewelry properly when it is not used. The ideal place to store sterling silver jewelry is cool and away from sunlight. Heat and light will turn a silver jewelry yellow and cause it to tarnish quickly. Even indoor light source like florescent lights or light bulbs turn the color of silver jewelry over time. If you expect not to wear a certain piece for a long time, put it in a air-tight bag and store it in a drawer.
What types of silver jewelry plating are there?
Unlike gold and platinum, however, pure silver is rather unstable and oxides rather quickly. Therefore, silver jewelry is usually plated with another metal to protect it from tarnishing. There are two kinds of plating for silver jewelry: nickel and rhodium plating. Nickel plating has a more whitish look and rhodium plating has a darker look. Rhodium is used to plate white gold and platinum jewelry and is much more expensive than nickel, and it give better protection to the silver underneath. On the other hand, some silver jewelry is not plated. For instance, high polished sterling silver jewelry does not have any plating and the surface is polished by machine to render shininess. Also, “oxidized silver” jewelry is oxidized on purpose to give a dark antique look and is not plated with any other metals.
How do I know the purity of my silver jewelry?
The purity of sterling silver refers to 92.5% of silver in the alloy. In order to confirm the purity, the metal itself has to be sent to a laboratory to be tested. However, most of the sterling silver jewelry produced nowadays has a “925″ stamp to indicate the authenticity of the jewelry. Although there are cases where stamps are forged and the metal is either not silver or the purity is not as stated, they are very rare.
How about engraving and resizing?
Engraving and resizing of sterling silver rings is rather simple due to the ductility and relatively low melting point. However, make sure your jeweler understands the process of refinishing the ring and that they possess the necessary equipment to do so. Not all jewelers have the equipment to recoat the rhodium plating after cutting and welding the ring. Also, rings set with stones are sometimes not resizable because resizing might cause the stones to pop out. Such settings include channel and invisible settings.
Can I wear sterling silver jewelry if I am allergic to nickel?
Yes, just make sure the jewelry is pure sterling silver, not plated with nickel. Even Rhodium plated sterling silver jewelry sometimes contains a nickel layer between the silver and the rhodium to act as an adhesive. Hence, buy only high polished sterling silver jewelry if you are allergic to nickel.
By: Greg Peterson
About the Author:
Greg Peterson got his MBA from MIT business school and is now working as marketing manager for jewelry businesses featuring wholesale sterling silver jewelry and wholesale hip hop jewelry.
Silver 925 Exposed for What it Really is
Silver has always taken second place to Gold, its been Gold’s poor little brother, but its all about to change, the price of silver is ready to boom and percentage wise will out do gold 5 to 1.Beware with this boom will come the silver charlatans, trying to cash in on the Sterling silver925 and fine silver 985 jewelry product lines.
Silver jewelry Manufactures can buy the raw silver to make jewelry in two grades 99.95% and 92.5 %,both grades are acceptable for silver jewelry with the 99.95 being the no one grade for reputable silver manufactures and silver jewelry wholesalers to sell.
Silver 925 is 92.5 parts silver and 7.5 parts alloy combined into the silver; this is the excepted grade for sterling silver as a finished jewelry item, but if the manufacturer starts to make his jewelry with the 92.5% raw grade silver by the time the jewelry item has been soldered together and depending on the amount of detail the solder will bring that item well below the Sterling Grade 925.
Many silver manufactures add to this problem by adding another 7.5 parts alloy to the original raw silver so now you have 15 parts alloy plus the solder impurities’ so where is the sterling silver?.Now we have 85 parts silver and 15 parts alloy plus an estimated .5 to1part alloy from the solder so the jewelry is now 84 parts silver and 16 parts alloy. This jewelry item will tarnish and spoil quickly; it will not pass an assays test,it is not sterling silver925.
Lets take the reputable silver jewelry manufacturer that starts the jewelry making process with pure silver,999.5 he then adds 1part alloy plus .5 to 1 gram solder we now have silver jewelry that is a minimum standard of 98parts silver and 2 parts alloy ,its very plain to see which is the better investment, this is fine silver 98% pure.
Silver jewelry is soldered together with silver alloy mixes ,this is done so that the silver solder will melt and join the silver jewelry setting together before the setting melts ,in general there are three grades of solder used to accomplish this and each manufacturer may alter the ratio slightly, but as a rule the solder mixes are as follows ,
Solder no1 is 6 parts silver to 1 part alloy, this is the first grade solder used in making a jewelry setting it is the hardest solder and requires the most heat to melt and join the silver setting together in its initial stages. The next grade is Solder no 2 a medium grade solder that has a lower melting temperature then grade 1 and consists of 5 parts silver to 1 part alloy ,this will melt before solder no 1 so the silver setting will not start to fall apart while the silversmith is working. Finally the silver jewelry setting is finished with Solder no 3 which has the lowest melting point and is the finishing solder for the final work on the silver setting.
By now I hope its becoming clear that there is a huge difference in silver quality ,with the no 1 grade being fine silver 98% pure silver. Over the years people have said that pure silver is too soft for jewelry making, well I can assure you that 98% fine silver is more then strong enough for jewelry making and with its superior finish and purity it will return a much better profit on your silver jewelry investment in the long run. If you’re serious about buying excellent quality silver then you have to buy from reputable silver manufactures and wholesalers.
Here are some helpful tips for buying silver jewelry.Firstly your supplier should be able to produce a copy of the silver purity certificate for the quality of the raw silver they are buying and if its 999.5 and he is a reputable dealer then your jewelry should be of a high standard and stamped 925 or 985, it will be good quality and a valuable investment.Secondly do your homework first if you intend to buy retail or wholesale silver jewelry, ask your intended manufactures about quality control, what grade raw silver they buy and if you’re doing your own buying from overseas, don’t buy from street stalls and roadside vendors, even if the quality appears good, later you will regret the discounted purchase.
People will generally source a silver district to go and buy silver from, don’t rely on a reputation of a silver district or town known for selling silver, they are not all reputable dealers, again do your research before you leave home. Check your daily silver prices it will help if you intend buying in Asian countries. You will have to barter and knowing silver prices can help evaluate if the dealer is honest or not. My final advice is remember if your buying silver in Asia you will have to barter over price and Asian people learn to barter from the time they are born, so if you walk away thinking you have bought your silver below market silver costs, then believe me you have not bought good quality silver.
Wise Advice On the Bride’s Sterling Silver Jewelry
There ‘wedding ceremony of S.A. that comes up. You are invited. Someone who really there preoccupiate about is getting married and was wondering what to buy. You don ‘t want to receive a gift you won’ the need you will have to throw away or worse - mantengalo around and detestilo. Well, I ‘the VE has got the answer for. Jewelry pound of silver - it ‘gift of SA you won ‘t be forgotten, special and forever in his heart. Selection of the bride ’s the gift should be a pleasure. This experience should be dear to you as the person who is getting married is as well. In addition, the purchase of silver jewelry sterling are not much for us it is difficult to many guides written especially for this work. You can find that the online help or you can use your own instincts and some will offer tips this article. The selection of a gift of silver jewelry sterling is based on several criteria: the amount of money you are willing to spend, the position of the wedding ceremony and the theme color wedding ceremony if there is one. You probably wouldn ‘t want to pay attention to such insignificant matters as money as your intention is to give the bride this perfect. But, however this person is dear to you, the jewelry of silver sterling should be selected according to your quote. There is a wide variety of silver jewelry: plain, with some style, with the buds, all incredibly attractive. According to the quality, weight and precious stones, silver jewelry can cost more than you have foreseen. All know that this precious metal is very fashionable and affordable by all the pocket, but it would be amazed by how many options there are considering the jewelry of silver sterling and by how much work is done to create an ornament wonderful and perfect. Think just that you ‘ll see and the like will have to take a decision. There will be jewelry of silver sterling with the figures of animal or flower, jewelry of silver sterling with Gothic, Celtic, casual, contemporary and DELL’ANNATA. Choice of stone won ‘t be as easy as silver jewelry with diamonds, pearls, sapphires, rubies and so much will be present in front of your eyes. Thus, the limitations of money can be helpful when deciding what to buy because each item will have a certain price depending on how it is made and on what he rock. Unusual as it may seem, the position of wedding ceremony is very important. If happens in a church, in a garden or on the beach, the event will have some style and silver jewelry must be chosen correctly. And if you think a style, thus providing additional attention because the bride is the one that chooses you and your bridesmaids’ dresses. The ceremony wedding dress and, more specifically, the neckline tell if a series is a good idea or not and what kind to choose from. The jewelry of silver sterling by the neck are usually combined with the earrings. Jewelry silver for the bride ’s neck of an idea is, however defective if the bride doesn’ t have a low level or open the neckline. The chandeliers arms are your primary focus in this case. Because of silver jewelry sterling are very important gear of the bride, you have to be careful tone of the wedding ceremony. Don ‘jewelry of silver sterling dell’affare tonnes that are too casual or too conventional for the environment! Duri, but especially, the color theme of the wedding ceremony can guide you in your search for the perfect gift. Although the jewelry of silver sterling are happy with the whole wedding dress if it is gently white, cream, ivory or any arrossiscono color, silver jewelry comes with gem stones that may have certain colors. They must match the color theme of the event, or at least be chosen correctly. The silver jewelry can have gems with vibrant colors that the vivacity express or pastel colors may have to remember that tolerance and of innocence. The color theme can be seen in equipment, tablecloths canvas, in aerostati in ceremonial ribbons and decorative flowers. The jewelry silver doesn ‘t must make an exception, but it doesn’ t necessarily have to match the one or the other. The pound of silver jewelry with gems must complimentare the beauty of the bride, not reduce it. That’s why the color of skin, hair cutting and hair, eye color, makeup and other details that very small you could overlook are very important. This is the time to show your love for color. You mustn ‘t forget that this is his happiest days and you can contribute to his joy that making them a sterling silver jewelry will not forget ever. Because so many things come into play when buying gift silver jewelry, a good idea would be to have someone close to the bride to express a second opinion and opinion. It ’s not wise to do everything yourself because the silver jewelry are a sensitive part of the wedding ceremony and you, like everything else, it wants to be perfect. The research, however careful may be, will certainly pleasant and experience to maintain long with you.
Colloidal Silver Facts
Colloidal silver facts abound, but misinformation about colloidal silver facts is also plentiful. Our purpose here is to provide three colloidal silver facts, coupled with warnings.
Products sold under the general label “colloidal silver” may actually be any one of three distinct products:
- Ionic silver
- Silver protein
- True colloidal silver
Colloidal Silver Fact - Ionic Silver
Most products labeled and sold as colloidal silver are, unfortunately, ionic silver. This is because it is so much easier and less costly to produce this type of silver product. Among misrepresented colloidal silver facts, this is perhaps the most common.
Ionic silver products are made up of silver ions and silver particles. Using electrolysis, the manufacturer produces silver ions. Silver ions are really dissolved silver. Because most of the silver (about 90%) in ionic silver products is dissolved silver instead of silver particles, these are really solutions of silver.
These products are frequently advertised as containing silver ions that are small silver particles. That is confusing, however, since silver ions are different from silver particles.
Silver ions combine with chloride ions to form silver chloride, but silver particles do not.
Some manufacturers hide the identity of their ionic silver behind terms such as monatomic silver and silver hydrosol. These names are used to hide the truth from you. You are getting an ionic silver solution, not colloidal silver.
DON’T BE FOOLED.
If the product is clear, like water with sugar dissolved in it, it is ionic silver, not colloidal silver. Colloidal silver has an apparent color. This is a colloidal silver fact.
HOW TO TEST IT.
Add table salt to the product. If silver ions are present, the solution should turn cloudy. If it remains clear, however, it may simply mean no silver is present at all. Unfortunately, lab analysis has shown that some “silver” products contain absolutely no silver.
Some Products that test out to be ionic silver:
- Alchemists Workshop Colloidal Silver 10 ppm
- Earth’s Bounty Colloidal Silver 5 ppm
- Earthborn Products Colloidal Silver 100 ppm
- High Energy Labs Colloidal Silver 15 ppm
- Pro Star Colloidal Silver 10 ppm
- Survival Enterprises Colloidal Silver 3 ppm
- Ultra Pure Colloidal Silver 35 ppm
Colloidal Silver Fact - Silver Protein
Silver protein products, though often called colloidal silver, are nothing more than silver particles combined with protein. They can be made easily and at little cost. One needs only to add water to silver protein powder. The powder is sold by many chemical companies. This is the second most commonly misunderstood of colloidal silver facts.
If the colloidal silver product you are considering claims to be a high concentration of colloidal silver, it is very likely silver protein. Silver protein products usually have large silver particles. They could not remain suspended unless protein was added. Protein helps keep the particles from settling.
What kind of protein is used? Usually, it is gelatin made from animals. The risk of bacteria from the gelatin is one of the dangers of taking silver protein products.
DON’T BE FOOLED.
Silver protein products are the least effective for human use. In addition, silver protein products are known to cause Argyria - bluish skin tone. The condition is due to the high concentration of large silver particles. This is a colloidal silver fact.
HOW TO TEST IT.
Shake the product. If foam appears above the liquid and remains a few minutes, you probably do not have a colloidal silver product.
Some Products that test out to be silver protein:
- Futurebiotics Advanced Colloidal Silver 10 ppm
- Innovative Natural Products - Super Colloidal Silver 2000 ppm
- International Pharmaceuticals - Invive 500 ppm
- N-Ergetics Colloidal Silver 1100 ppm
Colloidal Silver Facts - True Colloidal Silver
These products are the most difficult to find, but are the products you want if you are going to use colloidal silver. True colloidal silver products present both difficulties and high cost to the manufacturer. Those who want you to misunderstand this colloidal silver fact want to make money from inferior products.
A colloid is a combination of particles of one substance, dispersed throughout another substance, which are too small to be seen with an ordinary light microscope, but cannot pass through a semipermeable membrane.
When referring to colloidal silver, the word colloid means silver particles. True colloidal silver contains mostly silver particles. True colloidal silver will usually contain 50 to 80% silver particles. The remainder will be silver ions.
True colloidal silver products have the highest total surface area of all the particles taken together. This is important. High surface area determines how effective the colloidal silver will be. The extremely small particles in true silver colloids, with their high surface area, remain in colloidal suspension on their own. There is no need to add protein or other substances.
DON’T BE FOOLED.
True silver colloids do not cause Argyria, the condition that causes skin to turn blue-gray. Their freedom from this condition is due to the low amount of ionic silver and the small size of the silver particles. This is a colloidal silver fact.
HOW TO TEST IT.
Look for an apparent color. Add salt, as described above under “Ionic Silver”. Shake as described under “Silver Protein”. True colloidal silver should pass all three tests.
Some Products that test out to be true colloidal silver:
- Advanced Colloidal Silver (Utopia Silver) 20 ppm
- Kelly Colloidal Silver 20 ppm
- Mesosilver 20 ppm
- Vitol Super Colloidal Silver 5 ppm
- Wellness Colloidal Silver 30 ppm
Whichever product you finally purchase, be sure to check with your health-care provider before using it. Be sure you share with him or her the colloidal silver facts learned here.