And by how much? I'm pretty sure that sterling silver is stronger, but I'm wondering if I could still use a metal stamp to stamp into something that's stainless steel - if it would be soft enough?
Advantages of sterling silver: * This metal is quite easy for jewelry-makers to work with; therefore, it is simpler for them to create more intricate types of pieces with sterling silver. * The tarnish that can develop on sterling silver is well-liked by some people. Disadvantages of sterling silver: * The aforementioned tarnish is not so well-liked by other people; some people dislike how sterling silver looks as it ages. * Because this material is so soft, it is susceptible to dings, dents, and scratches. Advantages of stainless steel: * Stainless steel pieces will not oxidize or tarnish at all. * Many people find it to be shinier than sterling silver because it offers great light reflection when it is polished to look like chrome. * Stainless steel can also be brushed to look like pewter, too. * Stainless steel is extremely durable and will resist dents, scratches, and chips better than most any other jewelry material. * The cost of stainless steel is quite affordable - much more so than jewelry pieces made from other materials. Disadvantages of stainless steel: * People may know that you have not spent a lot of money on a piece of jewelry (this may or may not be an issue for some jewelry wearers).
No way steel is by far stronger. Tensile strength of Sterling silver 207 MPa Tensile strength of Stainless Steel 515 MPa
Sterling is always best, but, in the 30's and 40's India also plated silver with brass overlay, believe it or not. They thought the look would be more attractive to tourist and more Indian traditional. Pieces marked India have been found to be 80% silver with brass overlay. Several times I have taken India marked pieces that looked brass to a metallurgist and found they are actually 80% silver with brass coatings. Like anything else, this is not always the case, either way, pieces marked and numbered will draw attention.
Silver is a relatively soft metal, while stainless steel is an alloy that has been designed for strength and durability. Your ability to use the stamp on steel will largely depend on the stamp's material. Why not just man up and give it a go?
