The hand stamped brass initial ring and the hand stamped nickel & stainless steel initial ring are the two most popular items in the lakeshore lavaliere online shop. Recently I received a message from a prospective customer asking if I made the ring in sterling silver. I already had the discs, and had actually just ordered sterling silver 18 gauge and 26 gauge wire for jewelry making with this exact idea in mind. I love sterling silver jewelry, and I love working with sterling silver in making my own jewelry. Sterling silver is an alloy made of no less than 92.5% silver, and the remaining ~7.5% is usually made up of copper with sometimes trace amounts of other metals. It’s easy to work with, and because it is composed of more than 90% silver, it is an ideal metal to use in jewelry because it is great for people with sensitive skin. When I was a kid,  I couldn’t wear any nickel earrings without getting a nasty reaction because my ears were so sensitive. The doctor told me that less than 15% of the population had metal allergies or sensitivity (lucky me to make the cut….), and that most of those people were sensitive to jewelry with high amounts of nickel, although mostly on their hands and in their ears (which is why I use a stainless steel 18 gauge wire base in my rings that are stamped on nickel preventing skin contact with the nickel disc, even though nickel doesn’t bother most people). So, he suggested that I try sterling silver, which is slightly more expensive than the base metals, but is still an affordable alternative. I’ve been wearing sterling silver ever since, and now I love working with it in the pieces that I create. Not only is it great for people with sensitive skin, it withstands the test of time much better than even pure silver because pure silver is too soft to create durable pieces with. The copper infusion in sterling silver makes it strong and durable (which is why sterling silver is so commonly used in silverware), which makes it perfect for jewelry.

***I hope you’ve enjoyed my tangent on base metals, sterling silver alloy composition, and precious metals. Feel free to skip my lecture above on why I love sterling silver and it’s comparison with base and precious metals. To sum it all up, sterling silver is awesome, great for sensitive skin, and stronger and more durable than fine silver. Therefore, I love using it in my different pieces, and I now offer the popular lakeshore lavaliere hand stamped initial ring in sterling silver: 

To access the listing in the lakeshore lavaliere online shop….. Just Click the Pictures!

OR

Go to etsy.com/shop/lakeshorelavaliere to browse the different shop sections/ inquire about a custom order:

• If you have any questions, or would like to make a request for a custom order while browsing the lakeshore lavaliere  online shop,  Etsy convo me by clicking ‘contact’on the left hand side of the page
• For other Inquiries/Requests/Custom Orders, Feel Free to Contact lakeshorelavaliere@gmail.com

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