A customer asked me what a pair of earrings she liked was made of. I said proudly that they are sterling silver. She looked at me with concern, almost like she was thinking “so not real silver then!?”
So why do we say that silver jewellery is sterling silver?
Sterling silver means:
- the pure silver content is 92.5%
- 7.5% is other metal, such as copper
100% pure silver is too soft to withstand daily wear, scratches easily, or can lose its shape. The small percentage of other metal in sterling silver, mixed with the pure silver, gives it durability and strength.
On most silver jewellery you might see 925 stamped into it, representing the 92.5% of silver in sterling silver.
it’s definitely “real silver”!
0 comments