Silver Earrings - Paua Shell Small
- Free UK Delivery* When you spend over £30
- Sterling Silver
Presentation box included
No quibble returns
- Description
- What is Sterling Silver?
- Packaging
- Delivery
- Returns
Pretty sterling silver round studs with a centre of Paua shell in gorgeous blues and greens. Easy to wear on posts with butterfly backs. Matching pendants are available.
Measures 8mm round.
Creating a strong precious mix
925 Sterling Silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects, and in Sterling Silver, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give strength whilst preserving the malleability of the silver and a high precious metal content - ideal for making silver jewellery.
Other metals can replace the copper, usually with the intent to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firescale (a red or purple stain), and increasing resistance to tarnish. These replacement metals include germanium, zinc, and platinum, as well as a variety of other additives including silicon and boron. A number of alloys claiming firescale and/or tarnish resistance have appeared in recent years sparking heavy competition between the various manufacturers and their different formulations. No one alloy has emerged as an industry leader or standard and ongoing alloy development is a very active area.
Origins of "Sterling Silver"
The term "Sterling Silver", in reference to the 925 grade of silver, emerged in England by the 13th century (the 1200s). The terms "sterling" and "pound sterling", seem to have acquired their meaning over a period of time, and from several convergent sources. The first mention is that of "sterilensis" in 1078, and by the 13th century the term sterling had appeared. "Sterling" is believed to come from the Old Norman French esterlin (meaning little star) and Old English stiere (strong, firm, immovable).
An alternative explanation is that Sterling Silver may have been known first as "Easterling Silver". The term "Easterling Silver" was used to refer to the grade of silver that had originally been used as the local currency in an area of Germany, known as "The Easterling". This "Easterling" consisted of five towns in the eastern part of Germany which banded together in the 12th century under the name of the Hanseatic League. The Hanseatic League proceeded to engage in considerable commerce with England. In payment for English cattle and grain, the League used their local currency. This currency was in the form of 92.5% silver coins. England soon learned that these coins, which they referred to as "the coins of the Easterlings", were of a reliably high quality and hardness.
All of our jewellery will be supplied in an Indigo Silver branded presentation box, with the exception of a limited number of remaining 'D for Diamond' branded items.
You can also select gift wrap with a personal message in your basket for just £2.95!
Dispatch
Much of our jewellery is made to order so dispatch will usually be within 3 working days of order. Please note that dispatch of custom orders may take slightly longer but do contact us if your order is required urgently.
UK Delivery
Orders up to and including £30 will be delivered by Royal Mail First Class post at just £2.95 per order.
Orders over £30 will be delivered FREE by Royal Mail First Class post.
We also offer Royal Mail Next Day delivery for £7.50 - please contact us first to ensure stock availability.
International delivery
Unfortunately, we are currently unable to accept orders from outside of the UK.
Returns
We want you to be 100% satisfied with all purchases, so please do contact us immediately if for any reason you are not completely happy. If you do wish to return an item, then contact us within 28 days of delivery to arrange a refund or exchange.
Refunds
Once your return is received and inspected, we will acknowledge receipt and confirm approval of your refund by email. Your refund will then be processed and a credit applied to your original method of payment within 5 working days (typically but subject to usual banking process).
Exchanges or Modifications
We recognise that it's not always easy to get it right first time when buying online. So if you would like to exchange an item or need a modification, then do contact us for assistance.
Return Shipping
To return your item(s), you should address them to: Indigo Silver, 122 Kings Road, Fleet, Hampshire UK, GU51 3DU. Your item(s) must be returned in the same condition that you received it and using the original packaging.
You will be responsible for paying your own shipping costs for returning an item. However we will refund your shipping cost if returning due to a fault or an error on our part. If you are shipping an item over £50, you should consider using a trackable shipping service or purchasing shipping insurance. We don’t guarantee that we will receive your returned item.
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