Sterling Silver 925

Since pure silver, also called fine silver (99.9% pure), is relatively too soft to use for jewelry so it is
commonly combined with other metals, to produce a more durable product. The most popular is
sterling silver, which consists of 92.5 percent silver and 7.5 percent copper. Copper was found to be
silvers best companion, improving the metal's hardness and durability without affecting its color.

Sterling Silver 925 is produced in many countries however, the countries that produce the most silver are Mexico, Peru and Australia. Make sure you know the difference between the different types of silver that are out there before you purchase your silver jewelry.

Silver plating is very common and many dishonest sellers will try to sell it as sterling silver.
Silver plated jewelry is made using a base metal, normally brass or nickel, which is then put through an electroplating process which attaches a very thin layer of pure silver over the base metal.
The result is a sterling silver looking jewelry item at a much lower price. It may look like sterling silver but the silver plating tends to wear off quite quickly exposing the base metal.

Alpaca Silver is not actually silver at all. It is a greyish looking alloy which resembles silver. It is sometimes referred to as nickel silver, paktong, and new silver. It is also often used as a base for silver plated jewelry because of the way it looks. If you want real silver, stay away from this. Also, beware of sellers selling this as “fine jewellery” to consumers that don’t know the difference between sterling silver and alpaca silver.

Sterling Silver Internation Standard: Most high quality silver items are stamped with a quality mark that designates the precious metal content of the jewelry, and under federal law, must be accompanied by a maker's mark or registered trademark.
Stamped marks for sterling silver include: • sterling • sterling silver • ster • 925

Care: Should your silver jewelry tarnish, which is likely to happen no matter how careful we are, place
your jewelry in a cup filled with soap and water and let it soak for a few hours then rinse and dry with
cloth. Avoid exposing your silver to household chemicals when cleaning with bleach or ammonia, or
when swimming in chlorinated water, as these chemicals will damage silver.