Sterling silver bangles are nothin but an alloy of silver which contains 92.5% of pure silver and 7.5% of other metals, usually copper. The minimum millesimal fineness in the case of silver is 925.

In the case of Sterling silver, the copper is alloyed with silver in order to give strength while preserving the high precious content of silver. At times copper can also be replaced with other metals, usually with the of improving various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, increasing resistance to tarnish and eliminating firescale.

silver bangles

The other metals with which copper can be replaced are germanium,zinc, platinum as well as a variety of other additives including silicon and boron.

Several alloys claiming firescale and tarnish resistance have appeared in recent years creating a tough competition amongst various manufacturers and their different formulations although not a single alloy has emerged as an industry leader.

Sterling silver as an alloy is a very useful alloy for a large number of other purposes such as making silverware dinner sets, plates, trophies and momentos, medals, jewellery box and jewellery.

But, as the purity of any metal keeps on decreasing, the problem of corrosion or tarnishing of the bangle starts increasing more and more. Although, chemically, pure silver is not ‘highly reactive‘, but an alloy like sterling silver may often be reactive and may react with the oxygen in the air eventually resulting in corrosion.

A large number of products have been developed in order to polish the silver bangles in order to avoid this. A simple way to make silver bangles shine is to take some dry baking soda and rub it on the metal with one’s fingers, then to rinse it with mineral-free water.