What is Sterling Silver? Everything you need to know
Whether you've been a jewellery lover 'forever' or you're just finding your love for jewellery now, we've all asked the question "what is sterling silver?" at one point or another.. even me! Finding the answer online is one thing but figuring out what all of the other terms used to describe silver mean is a whole other issue. It's super important to know what we're buying though right?! But don't worry friends, I'm here to break it all down for you!
What is Sterling Silver?
So what exactly is sterling silver? Well sterling silver is a precious metal which is used in jewellery making but it's also used in other industries like solar energy and electronics. Don't worry I'm not about to blab on about solar energy or electronics, mainly because I wouldn't know the first thing about it. So let's stick to sterling silver used in the jewellery industry, shall we?
Sterling silver or 925 silver as it is commonly described as, consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% other metals, like copper. The addition of other metals makes sterling silver more durable allowing us to wear it every day.
You may see jewellers use the terms 'fine silver' or '999 silver', which is silver in it's purest form. Unfortunately, fine silver is very soft and wouldn't be good for use in jewellery as it would get scratched and damaged really easily. Not ideal for someone like me who is a bit clumsy and often knocks jewellery off hard surfaces... if you know you know!
Does Sterling Silver tarnish?
The short answer is yes. Tarnishing is completely normal for most metals. Over time the outer layer of sterling silver reacts with things like oxygen, beauty products and sweat which results in the silver turning a darker colour. So if your sterling silver jewellery is looking a bit lack lustre and dull, it's probably tarnished!
No need to worry though as tarnish can be removed easily. All you need is a silver jewellery cloth to polish up your piece of jewellery. You can buy silver polishing cloths online for relatively cheap.
You can find more information on caring for your sterling silver jewellery here.
Is Sterling Silver valuable?
Yes, sterling silver is a precious metal afterall! The cost of sterling silver has been in the news a lot lately. Within the past year, the price of sterling silver has more than doubled which is crazy but it also shows the value of your sterling silver jewellery. Whilst jewellers have been rocked by the rapid increase in cost, resulting in many jewellers including myself having to raise prices, it also highlights to consumers that investing in sterling silver jewellery is totally worth it. Precious metals like sterling silver and gold will always hold their value making them one of the best investments you can make. Jewellery is a luxury item after all!
What is a hallmark? And how does it relate to sterling silver?
A hallmark consists of a series of symbols which are stamped or lasered onto an item of jewellery to confirm that it is the precious metal stated. The hallmark contains three compulsory symbols including: the Maker's Mark, Metal and Fineness Mark and the Assay Office Mark.
Basically a hallmark is your guarantee that the piece of jewellery has been tested and is in fact sterling silver, gold, platinum or palladium.
It's really important to mention that many countries do not use a system like we do in the UK. Most countries don't hallmark jewellery or will stamp the silver with '925' but to be clear, a '925' stamp is not a hallmark.
If a precious metal is under a certain weight they are exempt from hallmarking -
Sterling Silver 7.78g, Gold 1g, Palladium 1g and Platinum 0.5g.
As a result of this exemption, many jewellers will not hallmark sterling silver jewellery under this weight as it would result in increased costs for customers. Sadly having jewellery hallmarked isn't cheap!
You can find more details on hallmarking here.
Other terms you might come across
Silver-plated
Silver-plated jewellery describes pieces that are made primarily out of a base metal such as copper or brass with a thin layer of sterling silver electroplated over the base metal. The thin layer of sterling silver will wear off over time to reveal the base metal. Silver-plated jewellery is considerably less valuable than solid sterling silver pieces of jewellery, which also makes it more affordable.
Silver
The word 'silver' is also used to describe the colour of a metal or piece of jewellery, which means that it may not be contain any sterling silver at all. If a silver piece of jewellery is very cheap, it is usually an indication that it may not be sterling silver or at least not solid sterling silver. Remember if it seems to good to be true, it usually is!
I hope I've answered all of your sterling silver related questions but if I've missed anything feel free to drop me a comment below!
Love always,
Lisa x