Silver - Miele Dishwasher Care And Maintenance

Technical Information

3.3 Silver

Properties:
Silver has many outstanding properties which include excellent heat
conduction as well as being highly reflective, ductile and chemically
resistant. Its conductivity makes silver cutlery particularly popular with
gourmets. This is because silver cutlery does not affect taste perception as
the cutlery warms to the same temperature as the food being consumed.
The bacteria-killing property of silver is also particularly noteworthy.
Silver is therefore popular for cutlery, plates and platters, sugar containers,
salt and pepper pots, cruets, bowls and similar items.
"Real silver":
Items such as those listed above are never made of pure silver (with a silver
content of 99.9%) as in this state the metal is very soft and would therefore
be subject to wear very quickly. Instead, an alloy of silver and copper in
proportion of 800 to 200 parts is used and generally referred to as "real
silver". This combining of metals to form an alloy considerably increases the
hardness and durability of the silver. In Germany in accordance with the law
of 1884 covering the purity of gold and silver products, all items made of
"real silver" are marked with a half moon, crown, manufacturer's mark and
purity declaration. Silver alloys with a purity of more than 800 also exist. In
Great Britain the level of purity is occasionally set at 925 (sterling silver).
When silver comes into contact with substances containing sulphur it can
become tarnished and develop stains ranging from brown and blue to blue-
black in color. This is caused by the release of small quantities of hydrogen
sulphide. Such discoloration occurs easily when silver items come into
contact with foodstuffs containing sulphur (e.g. egg yolk, mayonnaise,
mustard, onions, legumes, fish, pickled fish, marinades, etc.). Silver also
becomes tarnished when it is not in use. The cause for this is hydrogen
sulphide in the air.
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