What Is 925? Or More Precisely What Is 925 Sterling Silver?

As the owner operator of an online jewellery shop and retailer of sterling silver jewellery, I hear the question almost every day;

Exactly what is Sterling Silver?

Sterling Silver is always stamped with a small 925 symbol somewhere out of sight on the piece of silver jewelry.

The 925 sterling silver is a standard of sterling silver used by craftsmen to make silver jewellery and the "925" refers to the purity of the silver used.

Pure silver cannot be used to make jewelry as it is extremely soft and it can distort or compress too easily. Even under room temperatures the pure silver is extremely malleable. This is why 925 Sterling Silver or "92.5% pure silver" is used and not the pure form of the precious metal.

The pure silver is usually alloyed together with copper to give it strength while preserving the natural beauty of the silver. All silver jewelry items including silver chains, silver rings and silver bracelets that you commonly see are made from this compound or a similar one, where the copper has been replaced with another metal. The silver combines to form the alloy it also stops the silver from tarnishing too easily.

How do I know I'm purchasing real 925 sterling silver when I'm purchasing online?

Well first of all you should always buy your sterling silver from a website or reputable business that clearly states the content of their jewellery as having 925 sterling silver and not just jewellery with silver plating. Next you could ask them to provide you with a photo of the 925 stamp on the item you are purchasing. Silver, even after being alloyed with the other metal is still relatively soft. This is why it can be stamped with the 925 symbol more easily than fake silver products.

Compare the stamp on the sterling silver item they are showing you to a real stamp, either on an item you own or a photo, found easily on google. You should also be able to find examples of fake 925 silver stamps using your favourite search engine.

Finally, if it is a large sterling silver item that you are purchasing, the retailer should provide you with a weight in grams or ounces of exactly how much 925 sterling silver is in the silver item, however for the typical silver chain or other piece of silver jewelry;

Prices vary depending on how much detail there is in the design, but for quality genuine 925 sterling silver, you can expect to pay anywhere between $4.00 - $6.00 per gram or around $140.00 per ounce.

Above all make sure you have fun shopping for sterling silver on the internet! Once you find some trusted dealers you will be able to find yourself high quality sterling silver jewellery with designs you would never find in the shops and the savings can be huge.

I hope this cleared everything up on the topic of 925 sterling silver.

Comments? Questions? Email Here

© HowtoAdvice.com

How to Advice .com