Is 925 Sterling Silver Good? The Truth

by Dephini Jewellery

Silver’s shiny and cool aesthetics emits the metallic touch we all know and love. Silver has ancient origins in the ancient Mediterranean region. If silver is your precious metal of choice for jewellery, rest assured that your Sterling Silver Jewellery will last a good while. But you may wonder whether 925 silver 925 is any good, especially if you have ever fallen victim to a jewellery vendor claiming genuine sterling silver.

So, is 925 sterling silver jewellery any good? The short answer is yes. Sterling silver is made of 92.5% of pure silver, as the name implies, and the rest (7.5%) mainly comprises copper and other trace elements. 925 sterling silver is better than pure silver, as it is soft, rendering it challenging to shape for jewellery manufacturers. Hence, 925 sterling silver is the best type of silver in jewellery design.

In this article, we discuss the various features you should consider when detecting genuine sterling 925 silver. How do you choose what silver to purchase? How is 925 silver different across the globe?

Sterling Silver in Jewellery

92.5 Sterling silver is versatile, elegant, enduring and perfect for any occasion. It is not as soft as pure silver, making it an excellent precious metal that jewellers value. It is hypoallergenic and will not leave scars or provoke irritation which is why it has been a popular precious metal in jewellery making for centuries.

It is commonly used in jewellery types due to its silver lustre, malleability and hypoallergenic properties that helps to avoid skin itchiness. It is trendy in earrings as other cheaper silver alloy metals can cause skin irritation, black marks and may lead to injuries and bleeding, especially silver nickel alloy products.

92.5 pure silver pendants are often embellished in crystal or gemstones or manipulated into fantastical and intricate designs by craftsmen. A delicate silver bracelet adds shine and elegance to even casual outfits.

Silver-Plated Jewellery Mistakes

Chances are, if you regularly buy silver jewellery, you have probably purchased silver-plated jewellery instead of sterling silver. This may have been your intention, or you could have been a victim of jewellers claiming to be selling sterling silver jewellery.

Silver-plated jewellery has minimal silver content and are far less durable, and will deteriorate over its life span compared to 925 silver products. Be sure to ask your vendors all the right questions before you purchase your 925 sterling silver jewellery.

Is Sterling Silver Worth It?

Real sterling silver is highly precious and worth the investment, especially if your jewellery colour of choice is silver. It looks stunning against roller skin tones and equally enchanting on warmer skin tones or against contrasting bright colours.

Sterling silver 925 is a highly durable metal that will not likely tarnish or turn black or green if adequately maintained and worn regularly. In this regard, it is a significant investment.

However, silver-plated jewellery does not count as 925 silver and has a small silver content.

Most of us have been fooled by false sterling silver jewellery vendors, which flog silver jewellery of little value and less durability.

Sterling silver jewellery is undoubtedly more affordable than gold, but real sterling silver can still be expensive.

Durability and Purity of Sterling Silver

White Heart Necklace by Dephini 

The silver purity is assessed on a numeric scale up to 1,000, a thousand indicating pure silver. Silver can be classified in sterling with a value of 92.5%, also known as 925. The sterling silver process results in the usual silver colour and bright shining metallics. For silver which contains below 90 per cent of silver, it is not sterling silver.

One issue with this precious metal is that it is prone to corrosion, so it becomes essential to regularly clean and rinses plated silver.

Alpaca and nickel silver are often used instead of jewellery, capsules and clothing. These low purity metals may be known as European silver or coin silver. Working with reputable jewellers and suppliers is vital if you’re looking to buy genuine sterling silver.

Italian Silver

Sterling Silver from Italy and France is renowned as the best quality sterling silver 925 in the world. Italian silver was borne out of its distinctive taste for quality artistry dating to the 1700s.

Italy values silver so much that it imposes regulations designed to ensure the highest quality of 925 silver is available to consumers. The regulations stemmed in response to silver jewellery manufacturers and suppliers forging real silver jewellery, either with

In other places across Europe, the silver standard is less: 83.5 per cent in Germany, 70 per cent in Lebanon. This means that the metal alloy composition increases from 7.5%, which detracts from the authenticity of the 925 silver claims.

Always ask your jeweller – where the 925 silver was produced? In some situations, you could be lucky: labels may mention the country it was created and designed. If your brand indicates it was made in other European countries outside Italy or France, you will likely purchase lower standard silver jewellery.

Make sure you are buying sterling silver from a reputable vendor or jeweller.

Tibetan or Tribal Silver

Many of these imported items from exotic lands carry dangerous metals such as lead and nickel. Sterling silver jewellery from markets or areas that identify lower quality silver should be approached with caution.

You should also be cautious of tribal pieces bought on holiday from a market or purchased on Etsy. Some imported products do not contain any silver, or some are packed with dangerous metal corrosives like lead.

Bali, Thai or Mexican Silver

There is also a large quantity of quality sterling silver jewellery imported from Bali, Thailand and Mexico. Silver also needs to carry a quality hallmark and a quality disclosure on it.

However, there are lower grade silver alloys from these nations that claim authenticity but are not. The name of the origin country is not a guarantee of quality.

Vital Sterling Silver Care tips

Genuine sterling silver is often sensitive to tarnishing due to the copper used to make it hard and durable. Copper is a reactive material reacting with oxygen, air moisture and sulphur. Give silver a clean polish with a white cloth for polish, or dip the silver into jewel cleaner.

However, if you look after your sterling silver jewellery, they stay cleaner and shinier for longer. Consider these care tips that could make a world of difference to your sterling silver jewellery.

• Store your Sterling Silver 925 Jewellery away from sun exposure, moisture and heat;
• Avoid air exposure by storing in its bag, reducing their likelihood of coming into contact with any contaminants causing them to tarnish;
• Use a silver polishing white cloth to clean and polish the metals;
• Do not polish with kind of papers, even soft tissue paper, will result in staining and scratches;
• Using mild detergent; dish soap is usually the best solution for silver;
• Take off your jewellery before getting into chlorinated water or expose it to harsh chemicals;
• Wear your 92.5 sterling silver regularly

Why do we Love Sterling Silver?

Sterling is beautiful, durable and varied. The precious metal has held its own with time and will likely always be in trend as fine jewellery. In other words, your purchase should retain its value for yours to come.

At Dephini, our big selling points for 925 sterling silver jewellery are:

• Hypoallergenic
• Durable
• Affordable
• Easy to clean and care

We love working with quality sterling silver artisans to create stunning sterling silver jewellery pieces for the public.

Purchase your Next Beautiful Piece from Dephini

Dephini’s stunning sterling lister heart inspired collection using the finest Italian 925 sterling silver. Our necklace designs feature CZ crystal along with the heart pendant. It is accompanied by an elegant and delicate sterling silver chain.

Our sterling silver heart earrings and heart necklace make the perfect gift set for your wife, girlfriend, mother or daughter. Want to know more. Visit the Dephini Store today.