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What Exactly Is 925 Sterling Silver?
By Ashley Shameli, Sat Dec 10th
A great deal of silver jewellery available today is called 925silver. Have you ever wandered why we in the jewellery trade addthe number 925 in front of sterling silver? Before you part withyour hard-earned money buying jewellery for yourself, or as agift for someone else, it is worth finding out what exactly 925silver is. Furthermore, it is important to understand why youmust always insist that your silver jewellery is up to the high925 standard. Before we look at what 925 silver is, we must first consider theproperties of this fascinating metal. Pure silver is extremelymalleable and therefore can easily damage. It also softens overtime, even at room temperature. Obviously, in this state silver is useless for jewellerypurposes. To avoid the problems of malleability and softening,and thus to increase the life-span of your silver jewellery,other metals are added to the pure silver. The result of thisblending process with alloys is a combined silver and alloysubstance which is far more resistant to scratching and damage. 925 sterling silver jewellery is actually a combination of 92.5%silver and usually 7.5% copper. Sometimes the craftsman replacescopper with another material, or even a combination ofmaterials. Over the last decade lower copper prices and anabundance of copper due to improved refining techniques havemade it the first choice
of many designers and jewellerystylists. The beneficial properties gained by adding the copper to thepure silver have made the resulting product extremely popularwith a host of silver craftsmen. Earrings, rings, bracelets andall other forms of jewellery can be carefully designed with theassurance that each intricate bend and turn will remain firmlyin place. 925 silver is therefore a combination of mostly pure silver anda lower percentage of infused alloy metal. The addition ofcopper, or occasionally a similar copper-like substitute, helpsto enhance your silver jewellery and does not in any way detractfrom its quality. It is important to check that your silver jewellery is highquality 925 sterling silver before making a purchase. In the UKnearly all 925 sterling silver jewellery is hallmarked. All ofthe silver jewellery Purdice sells complies with relevanthallmarking requirements. If you are purchasing in anothercountry, we advise you to check with the regional or nationalsilver jewellery hallmarking body to find out if retailers cansell inferior lower grade silver jewellery without informing you. Remember that in many countries the 925 hallmark is an assuranceto you that your silver is of the highest quality. About the author:Ashley Shameli, the author of this article, is a director ofhttp://www.purdicejewellery.co.uk. He also contributes to thePurdice Jewellery library of interesting jewellery facts athttp://www.purdicejewellery.co.uk/qanda.asp.
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