What's the Difference Between Silver and Sterling Silver? (2024)

FAQs

What's the Difference Between Silver and Sterling Silver? ›

Fine silver is 99.9% pure silver. In this form the metal is beautiful and suffers from minimal tarnish, but it's generally too soft and malleable for many uses, including making most silver jewellery. Instead fine silver is alloyed with copper to create sterling silver, which is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper.

Sterling silver is better than silver when designing and wearing jewelry because it's stronger and can look good for a lifetime. Fine silver jewelry is easily damaged and not the best choice to wear on a regular basis. Sterling silver is also better for setting gemstones.

Sterling silver is much less expensive than pure or fine silver. If you love to collect and wear sterling jewelry pieces, then you're in luck. With sterling silver, you will be able to afford more items, without breaking the bank. Ultimately, you'll be able to get more of what you love for less money.

Sterling silver, also known as 925 sterling silver, is a metal alloy used in jewelry and decorative household objects. Traditionally, it is 92.5% silver (Ag), and 7.5% copper (Cu). Occasionally, other metals account for 7.5%, but the 925 hallmark will always indicate 92.5% silver purity.

Sterling silver is much more durable compared to fine silver because of the added metal alloys. This can help your piece last and stay looking the best it possibly can for longer.

The short answer to this question is yes, you can (if you know it's sterling silver). Water generally does not damage sterling silver. *But* water does cause silver to oxidize (darken) more quickly, and what type of water and the chemicals in it has an impact on how much it will cause your silver change color.

At Pandora, we stamp our jewellery with quality marks to indicate the metal's purity and to guarantee that the metal is of high-quality. All our sterling silver jewellery is stamped with a capital “S” for silver, followed by the purity stated as pure silver parts per thousand: S925 (92.5% pure silver).

Genuine sterling silver is a fabulous metal to wear every day as it has many benefits. Sterling silver is gorgeous, versatile, affordable and extremely durable. If you look after your jewellery and make sure that you avoid contact with certain chemicals, your jewellery can be worn all day, every day with no issues!

While . 925 Sterling Silver is good for jewelry and other worn items that will experience wear and tear with frequent use, when it comes to silver bars and coins for collecting and investment purposes, you will get the most value out of the highest silver content you can afford - . 999 or even .

Fine silver has a millesimal fineness of 999. Also called pure silver, or three nines fine, fine silver contains 99.9% silver, with the balance being some trace amounts of impurities. This grade of silver is used to make bullion bars for international commodities trading and investment in silver.

How to tell if sterling silver is real? ›

True sterling silver pieces carry a specific hallmark - the '925' mark. This number refers to the jewelry's 92.5% pure silver content, a defining feature of sterling silver. If your piece has this stamp, it's a good sign it's genuine. However, be cautious; sometimes counterfeit items may also bear this marking.

Fine silver has a higher purity percentage of silver, which will make it more expensive compared to the less pure sterling silver. However, sterling silver still looks just as good as fine silver, which means you can get affordable, timeless pieces for a lower price. There's also the durability factor.

Argentium Silver and Non-Tarnish Alloys

Non-tarnish alloys are fairly new to the market. Argentium is one brand but there are others available that are similar. These alloys are a minimum of 92.5% silver though some will be slightly higher in silver content.

925 sterling silver is a high-quality silver that is less likely to turn your finger green, while a sterling silver piece with a higher percentage of alloy metal may be more likely to react with moisture oThis unique combinationn your skin.

Absolutely, there is a type of silver that is renowned for its resistance to tarnishing – it's called "Sterling Silver" or "Argentium Silver." Sterling Silver is an alloy that consists of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% of another metal, usually copper.

950 Silver contains 95% pure silver and is the highest grade of silver used for jewelry. This grade is used by Qinti Peru (Formerly Artisan Silver & Gifts) for its handmade jewelry. 925 Silver contains 92.5% pure silver and is the lowest possible grade to be considered "sterling silver".