"porkchops" wrote in message
...
Hello,

In 1998 I got a ring at a small gift shop at the mall called "Fire and
Ice" as a gift from my mom (not sure if any of you have heard of it,
but I think it closed down). Anyways, it's a sterling silver (has a
..925 engraved inside the band) oval peridot split shank band ring.
It's awesome and I have been wearing it all the time.. everyday, night
and day, since I got it.
It hasn't discolored or rusted at all, but the band has sorta of bent
on the side, where it meets my other finger. This happened after about
2-3 years or so. It was pretty noticeable and made the ring feel weird
on my finger.
Anyways, a friend of mine used some plyers on it to try and straighten
it out. And it worked okay. But my friend said it bended back into
shape a little too easily and scratched up pretty easily from the
plyers, and suggested that perhaps the ring was made up of a very
cheap, soft kind of silver, or metal.
Even before that, it's gotten easily scratched up over the years, and
I don't do any rugged work with my hands at all.

So, my question is.. it was said when we bought it, that it was just
"sterling silver" and it does indeed have the sterling silver marker
for .925.
Is this normal for sterling silver? Could have using the plyers made
the band weaker, and later on cause a problem?
It cost about $45.00, if I recall clearly. I do not know anything
about silver really. Or the different types of silver and strengths,
etc.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sterling is a strong metal. Sterling is also a relatively soft metal =
until
it gets work hardened some. Pliers are not the tool I would have used,
instead I would have slipped it over a ring mandrel and whacked it a
couple-thirty times with a rawhide mallet.

--=20
Don Thompson

"The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is =
before
them, glory and danger alike, and notwithstanding go out to meet it."-
Thucydides

"Men are never really willing to die except for the sake of Freedom:
Therefore they do not believe in dying completely."-
Albert Camus