Bridal Jewelry

The array of silver pendants and other jewelry available in the market today is quite mind boggling!  If you were to walk into your local jeweler and asked to be shown their collection of silver jewelry, you can bet that you will be overwhelmed by the visual excess displayed before your eyes, and you will find it difficult to make a decision.  So before you go to the jewelry store, it is suggested that you spend sometime online searching for and browsing for information and pictures on what is available and what is not.  You may even find a better deal online that you might in a conventional brick and mortar store.  But at the very least, you will gain insight into what is available, the current styles and trends, and the approximate prices for items of varying size and complexity.  Then when you walk into your local jeweler’s shop, you will be armed with this information and you can make some informed decisions.

Silver pendants come in a wide range of styles.  The most common style incorporates one or more gemstones.  The pendant can have a single large gemstone that forms the focus of the pendant and the sterling silver setting can be simple and elegant or intricate and ornate.  It really depends on whether the designer believes that the gemstone can hold its own, or whether it needs to be coupled with the beauty of the setting in order to create a beautiful pendant.  In a second popular style, the silver setting itself is the main attraction of the piece.  Here, the silver setting is large and typically has an ornate design.  Gemstones, if any, are small and simply used to accentuate the beautiful silver setting.  Pendants of religious significance generally fall into this second category.  In this particular case, the pendant needs to be beautiful yet sober.  A pendant that is predominantly silver accomplishes this goal.

Very rarely if ever, is pure silver used in jewelry.  This is because pure silver is soft and quite reactive with atmospheric elements that cause the surface to tarnish.  The present day standard for jewelry is Sterling silver.  Sterling silver is an alloy of silver and copper, with the silver content being at least 92.5 percent.  This alloy has much better properties than pure silver and is more practical for jewelry applications.  In some cases, trace amount of rhodium is added to the mix.  Rhodium retards the process of tarnishing.