what is 925 silver

If you are looking forward to buy 925 sterling silver jewelry, you must be curious to know the difference between 925 marked sterling silver jewelry and pure silver. Well, to make things clear, pure silver is not completely made up of only silver. It has 99% of pure silver, and roughly about 1 percent composed of other metals like copper.

On the other hand, 925 marked Sterling Silver consists of 92.5 percent of silver and the remaining part consists of other metals – generally copper. This is the main reason why Sterling Silver jewelry is mostly marked as 925 Silver.

The reason why silver is combined with other metals like copper is that it is almost impossible to get great designs out of just pure silver, since pure silver is very malleable and soft. Added metal gives the required hardness to the jewelry. That is why jewelers prefer 925 sterling silver as it helps in making the most complex and intricate and designs.

How to Tell If Your Jewelry Is Really -

Sterling silver doesn't come cheap, it is a great investment though. Before investing in sterling silver make sure that the jewelry is “925” marked means it is not silver plated instead of solid silver. You can get sure by checking the other stamps and signs.

But if you really want to get sure of what you are investing in is pure, you can always  carry out simple test.

• Gently rub the jewelry using a soft white cotton cloth. If on rubbing there are some back marks on the cotton cloths, then you can be sure that the jewelry you are investing in is a pure sterling silver. You get the back mark on the cloth on rubbiny because sterling silver gets oxidised when comes in to any air exposure. Oxidizing is also the reason why sterling silver if not taken proper care deteriorates with time.
• Ask your jeweler to do the Nitric Acid test. This is one such test that you should always ask your jeweler to do because when few drops of nitric acid are put on the fake sterling silver jewelries, they lose their color. But 925 sterling silver jewelry never leaves a color when come in contact with the acid.
• Try carrying out the smell test. When buying sterling silver jewelry try smelling it. Real sterling silver have little or no smell. But if in any case it does, it is because the jeweler has used too much copper in it.
• A simple magnet test will also do the work. Use the magnet test; try bring a magnet close to the sterling silver jewelry that you are buying. Magnets have no effect on silver. But if there is any moment in the jewelry when magnet is brought close to it, it will be clear that real 925 marked original sterling silver.

Save yourself from a lot of trouble by purchasing 925 marked sterling silver jewelry only from a genuine and reputable jeweler.