Sterling Silver Wedding Bands?

Q: Does anybody have any experience with sterling silver wedding bands? My fiance and I would really rather have silver, because we both look good in it, and we both like it better than gold or white gold. We've gone to a few jewelry stores, and so far, none have any silver at all. The saleslady at the last store claimed silver isn't durable enough for a wedding band, unless you want to replace it every five years. I think she was exaggerating just a wee bit, but silver does seen to be very hard to find. Is there a good reson for this, or do stores just want to sell white gold because they make more money on it?

A:When my mother and stepfather got married in 1983, they found a jeweler who would make hammered silver bands. (This was in Southbridge, MA) They came out looking really beautiful. I don't think they cost an outrageous sum, and they held up fine. The only problem came when we moved, and the water in our new well had a heavy amount of sulfur in it. The rings turned black every time they washed their hands, but they came clean again with silver polish. The biggest problem with silver is the tarnish. If all you are getting is the band, then I wouldn't imagine white gold to be too expensive. Of course, you could always consider platinum--I have no idea what that runs. I just went through the same process. Silver does seem to be very malleable for this kind of use....but there is a great alternative: platinum! Platinum (with 10% iridium) is hard, beautiful, doesn't tarnish, and isn't horribly expensive (well, it's pretty expensive). I forget the exact prices, but my 4mm band was around $400, her 2mm was around $300. Her engagement ring was also platinum, and I think that was $325 including mounting the stone (which I got from somewhere else). Platinum used to be a much more popular jewely metal, but all jewelry stores can still order rings (I think ours are Artcarved, which is a big ring manufacturer that all stores can order from). My parents play with make jewelry as a hobby. My Mother developed as allergic reaction to gold and had my Father make her a silver wedding band. She had had no trouble with it at all. If anything, the gold is softer than the silver and the silver will last longer.

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