Sterling Silver Open Cross Pendant

This elegant open cross pendant was cast in .925 sterling silver using an ancient technique called lost wax casting. This style of casting goes back at least 5,000 years and involves creating a wax original set into a mould, then melting or burning it away. This leaves an empty cavity into which molten silver, heated to over 1700 degrees Fahrenheit, can be poured. Once it cools, the mould is broken away and the silver pendant is touched up by hand and polished to a mirror shine.

Sterling silver is called .925 because it consists of at least 92.5% pure silver. The remaining 7.5% can technically be anything, but the sterling used here is of the highest quality: 92.5% silver, 7.5% copper and nothing else. Pure silver by itself is quite soft, and is prone to damage. Alloying silver with copper adds strength while still preserving the beautiful shine of silver.