Are You Buying 925 Sterling Silver Jewellery ?

Are you considering buying 925 Sterling Silver? Before you do, you need to know the difference between 925 sterling silver and pure silver. Pure silver has 99.9% of silver and a small amount of other metals like copper.

In contrast, sterling silver consists of 92.5% silver, and the rest is mostly copper. That is why Sterling Silver is commonly referred to as 925 Silver.

Silver is combined with other metals because it is quite difficult to create fine designs with pure silver, which is malleable and soft. Adding metals like copper introduce a bit of hardness which helps jewellers in making complex and intricate designs using 925 Sterling Silver.

Buying 925 Sterling Silver Jewellery:

Whether it's a necklace or a pendant, buying sterling silver is a smart investment that becomes increasingly valuable with time. Don’t get hoodwinked into buying fake 925 silver, it’s an expensive mistake that’ll give you plenty of heartache in future.

 

Here are a few steps to ensure that you are buying the real thing:

 

¾    The simplest way to check is to use a magnet. Silver is non-ferrous so if your silver jewellery is attracted to magnet, then it isn’t sterling silver. It could be highly polished stainless steel that looks like silver.

¾    Rub a part of your jewellery with a piece of soft white cloth. If it is true silver then black marks will appear on the cloth. Why it happens? Because when exposed to air, 925 Silver oxidizes. If it is not the real thing you won’t see any black marks.

¾    Real 925 Sterling Silver typically comes with an official stamp on the jewellery.

In the end, to save yourself the trouble of determining whether or not your jewellery is pure, it is advisable and sensible to buy sterling silver jewellery from a reputable and genuine jeweller.