Unfortunately many people know little about silver, even though they probably own a great deal of it. Silver is used in jewelry, food serving implements, electronics and many other places and most people do not know the first thing about the metal. Whether they understand it or not many people are obsessed with silver and seek it out, especially for rings. The most popular silver for rings is sterling silver rings.
Silver is a very malleable metal. This means that it is easy for the jeweler to twist and bend it into nearly any shape. Since silver is so soft jewelry grade silver is actually an alloy metal. Sterling silver rings for instance are 92. 5% silver and the rest are hardening metals like nickel. Silver is found on all continents and is much more plentiful than gold or platinum and this makes it a good deal less expensive, without sacrificing either tradition or quality.
Sterling silver jewelry, especially rings, is very popular because the lower price of silver and the flexibility of the metal allow much more variety in selection than with other metals. Silver also has a long and valuable history and is considered a traditional metal by many. Sterling silver jewelry however needs to be well cared for. Silver can tarnish and get a patina that is very hard to remove and greatly damages the beauty of the metal. Keep you silver away from either sulfur or chlorine and, when not wearing it keep it packed in cotton. There are many chemicals that will damage silver and you should be aware of them.
Sterling silver jewelry can be found on the internet in great profusion and all jewelry stores will also carry a wide selection. You can even have a jeweler make a custom made ring for much less than a regular ring will cost in any other metal.