Why 925 Sterling Silver is the Best Bet

They don’t use the term ‘born with a silver spoon’ for nothing!
Genuine Silver has a place in everyone’s heart and is one of the best you can buy. When festivities and special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries come during the year, you will find at least a few Sterling silver products as gifts. They are a popular gift item and won’t burn a hole in your pocket like gold or platinum. However, it is important to know what kind of silver you are buying. Pure silver is too soft and can get corroded and scratched easily, thus people prefer 925 sterling silver, which is of the highest quality, and will last you a lifetime. Sterling Silver is essentially 925 parts silver and 75 parts of other metals like copper. Silver with this composition can only be labeled and sold as Sterling Silver. This is also the practice used by high-end jewelry brands like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari. If the silver is in a lesser proportion, then it is not allowed/illegal to sell it as 925 sterling silver.  The genuine product will always have a mark such as 925, .925, 92.5, 925S, S925 indicating its authenticity.

Here are a few reasons why you’ll never regret buying Sterling silver products.

1.  Light and durable
The base metals of 925 sterling silver products make it incredibly durable. It is sturdier than gold and will not get scratches or dent easily. Its lightweight makes it an ideal choice to be worn on a daily basis without much harm to it.

2. Workable
Sterling silver can be customized just the way you like, thus giving designers creative freedom. You can experiment with the most complex designs on this base and come out with fantastic results.

3. Hypoallergenic
Metals like Nickle, cadmium and brass have a high likelihood to cause allergies in people. Women who wear jewelry on a daily basis are more susceptible to such allergy. Thus pure 925 sterling silver is the safest option as there are very low chances of skin irritation and blisters with it.

Purchasing pure 925 Sterling Silver

When purchasing Silver, it is best to go to a known jeweler so you are sure of not being fooled by fake or silver plated products. A hallmark saying it is genuine, from a reputed store, will be a good enough guarantee to go ahead and buy the products. 925 Sterling Silver is slightly costlier than other Silver varieties so be prepared to spend a good amount for an authentic product.

Recognizing Sterling Silver

There are few ways, other than the hallmark, where you can determine if what you purchased is a genuine product or not.

1. Rubbing with a cloth
Real 925 Sterling Silver will oxidize over time when exposed constantly to air. When you rub the product with a cloth a black stain will appear on the cloth, indicating it is a genuine product.

2. Nitric Acid
Nitric acid is a corrosive substance that will destroy most metals but not sterling silver. So try the acid on your product to be sure.

3. Metal Smell
Most metals have a peculiar metallic smell that we are familiar with. These are in fact human oils that decompose after coming into contact with the metals. Sterling silver has ions that are anti-bacterial and will not decompose human oils, thus will have no metallic smell.

4. Magnet
If you keep a magnet close to gold, silver and platinum, they will not be attracted to it. The same is for Sterling Silver. If your 925 sterling silver does get pulled by the magnet then it has silver plating or has low purity.