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Silver Or Pewter Blog Header

 

Do you prefer Silver or Pewter or is this a question that can be asked?

 

They are both very similar looking metals, but they are quite different.

 

Silver:

 

Silver is a pure metal. It is naturally occurring and taken from the Earth's crust.

 

Silver is known as a precious metal as its abundance in the Earth’s crust is low.

 

Silver can be found in the Periodic Table. Its chemical symbol is (Ag), taken from the Latin name Argentum.

 

Silver will tend to be more shiny and ‘silvery’ in appearance than Pewter.

 

Silver will tarnish or lose its brightness and lustre with time when it is exposed to high humidity and air pollution such as sulfur in the air.

 

Silver has a much higher melting point than Pewter.

 

Silver has been used for thousands of years.

 

Silver is used for many different applications. It is used for jewellery and silverware items, batteries, wire, electroplating of other thin metals, dental equipment, photography and many other uses.

 

 

Pewter:

 

Pewter is an alloy metal. It is a composition or a mixture of different metals.

 

The main element in Pewter is Tin.

 

The composition of metals will not always be the same. There is generally traces of copper and sometimes even silver that make up the Pewter.

 

A long time ago Pewter picked up a bad reputation as lead was being used within the mixture of metals, but this no longer seems to be the case.

 

Pewter has an ever so slightly darker appearance than silver and less of a sheen. Though it can be polished to mimic the appearance of silver or even darkened to give more of a bronzed look.

 

Pewter has a much lower melting point than silver.

 

Pewters lower melting point makes it very easy to mold and this may be why it is said to be the fourth most common metal used worldwide for jewellery. It can be molded to make unique and distinctive designs.

 

Pewter does not tarnish like silver, however it is more likely to bend or dent.

 

Pewter is too soft a metal to be used in tool making. Pewter is used for tableware and jewellery.

 

Pewter has been used for thousands of years.

 

As Pewter is an alloy metal and not a pure metal taken from the Earth it tends to be less expensive than silver.

 

Two very similar looking metals, but each very different.

 

 

Tags: silver precious metals pewter alloy metals