Stainless Steel vs Sterling Silver in Mens Jewelry

When most people think about jewelry, they initially think about women.

However, Men's Jewelry sales comprise 10% of all worldwide jewelry sales - and that figure is expected to greatly increase over the next several years. This is because more and more men are deciding to wear rings, bracelets, chain necklaces, and other pieces of jewelry.

Let's check the classic silver aka sterling silver or 925 sterling silver vs the modern stainless steel:

Sterling Silver Jewelry

What is sterling silver? Silver, in its natural form is much too soft to be able to be used for jewelry (or much of anything, for that matter). So, the silver is alloyed with other metals to make it stronger-thereby creating ‘sterling silver.' It contains no more than 7.5% of the other metals, meaning that it is at least 92.5% pure. This is why you can find ‘925' stamped or engraved on every sterling silver piece.

Advantages of sterling silver:

* This metal is quite easy for jewelry-makers to work with; therefore, it is simpler for them to create more intricate types of pieces with sterling silver.

* The tarnish that can develop on sterling silver is well-liked by some people.

Disadvantages of sterling silver:

* The aforementioned tarnish is not so well-liked by other people; some people dislike how sterling silver looks as it ages.

* Because this material is so soft, it is susceptible to dings, dents, and scratches.

Stainless Steel Jewelry

What is stainless steel? It is a steel alloy made up of a certain percentage of chromium. There are actually about 150 different types of stainless steel-the type used for jewelry is not the same as the stainless steel used for your travel coffee mug or for your kitchen appliances. Each type has a different chemical make-up.

Advantages of stainless steel:

* Stainless steel pieces will not oxidize or tarnish at all.

* Many people find it to be shinier than sterling silver because it offers great light reflection when it is polished to look like chrome.

* Stainless steel can also be brushed to look like pewter, too.

* Stainless steel is extremely durable and will resist dents, scratches, and chips better than most any other jewelry material.

* The cost of stainless steel is quite affordable - much more so than jewelry pieces made from other materials.

Disadvantages of stainless steel:

* People may know that you have not spent a lot of money on a piece of jewelry (this may or may not be an issue for some jewelry wearers).

Looking over these characteristics, it is pretty easy to see why most men are turning toward stainless steel for jewelry pieces more often nowadays. Perhaps you should give it a try?