999 Fine Silver, Handmade in Australia

999 Fine Silver, Handmade in Australia

Silver pieces Natalia shapes one at a time — sterling and fine silver rings, pendants, earrings, melted-silver work and enamel.

Jewellery made from 999 fine silver — 99.9% pure, not the usual 92.5% — handmade by Natalia on the Central Coast of New South Wales. Rings, earrings, pendants, melted-silver pieces and vitreous enamel work, every piece formed by hand and no two the same.

Fine silver is the purer, brighter metal: it tarnishes far more slowly than sterling and is kinder to sensitive skin. It is also the only silver that vitreous enamel bonds to properly, which is why Natalia's enamel work starts from 999 rather than 925.

Why 999 fine silver?

999 fine silver (this collection) 925 sterling
Purity 99.9% silver 92.5% silver + copper
Tarnish Slow — very little copper to react Faster; needs occasional polishing
Sensitive skin About as pure as a wearable metal gets Fine for most people
Feel Softer, takes organic hand-worked forms Harder; suits chains and clasps

Explore by technique: melted silver — Natalia's signature sculptural surface — and vitreous enamel, fired ten or more times in the kiln. Or by type: silver rings and earrings. Everything silver, including the Italian sterling ranges, lives in silver jewellery.

Frequently asked questions

What is 999 fine silver?

Silver that is 99.9% pure — as pure as wearable silver gets. Sterling (925) is alloyed with copper for hardness; fine silver keeps almost all the copper out, which makes it brighter, much slower to tarnish and gentler on sensitive skin.

Why do jewellers usually use sterling instead?

Because fine silver is softer, and factories favour the harder alloy for mass production. Working in 999 is a deliberate choice that suits hand-forming — the metal moves under the tools — and it is essential for enamel work, which needs a pure surface to bond to.

Is fine silver too soft to wear?

No, but treat it with the same sense you would any precious metal: take rings off for the gym, gardening and manual work. Earrings and pendants lead an easier life and wear beautifully. Where strength matters — ear wires, clasps — sterling is used for those components.

Does fine silver tarnish?

Very slowly. Tarnish is mostly the copper in an alloy reacting with air; at 99.9% purity there is very little copper to react. An occasional wipe with a soft cloth is all these pieces need.

Is every piece really one of a kind?

Yes. Each piece is formed by hand rather than cast in batches — melted-silver surfaces and kiln-fired enamel cannot be repeated exactly even on purpose. What you buy is the only one.

Who makes this jewellery?

Natalia, NJewellery's founder and jeweller, in her studio on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Her enamel work has won national awards.