Difference Between Silver & 925 Sterling Silver

Pure Silver

• Pure or near-pure silver has some uses, especially as a store of value in the form of bullion that is 99.9 percent silver. But it is too soft for making coins, jewelry and other items that are handled often.

Silver Alloys

• For thousands of years, metalworkers have hardened silver by alloying it with other metals--that is, heating both metals until they melt, then mixing them. Many different silver alloys are possible, but one of the most common metals to mix with silver is copper.

Purity Standards

• The acceptable standard for silver purity has varied from place to place and century to century. For example, the best-quality silver in France and some other European countries is 95 percent pure, while pre-1964 U.S. coins contained 90 percent silver.

The British Standard

• Long ago the term "sterling" became associated with 92.5 percent silver in Britain, perhaps because of its association with a similarly named silver coin that circulated after the Norman Conquest in the 11th century. The term gained worldwide acceptance during the heyday of the British Empire in the 19th century, during which time sterling-silver jewelry and silverware dramatically increased in popularity.

Sterling Silver Today

• Sterling remains a kind of silver to this day, popular with silversmiths and jewelers for its firm yet malleable nature, and still a hit among owners for its beauty. It is often called "925 silver" or ".925 silver," which are shorthand ways of referring to the purity of its silver content.