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Everything You Want to Know about .925 Sterling Silver Jewelries

For those who have spent some time shopping jewelries or just casually reading would know that there is a grade in sterling silver which is called .925. Those who have perused this section at the stores may even know what .925 sterling silver baubles look like. But, do you know what exactly is .925 silver? It may not be one of those things that the salesperson would enthusiastically describe to you, not because it may sour the deal, but because it’s not usually one of the most-asked questions. So, here is a little help in understanding what it is and what makes it a preferred grade of metal in jewelry.

What is.925 Sterling Silver?

To understand what .925 sterling silver is, you have to understand silver as a metal. Like all other precious metals, silver is a heavy and soft metal. Pure silver, a variety of which is sterling silver is extremely soft and that makes it’s precarious for jewelers to work with sterling silver in its purest form. Pure silver contains 99.9% silver and .1% copper or some other filler metal. Compared to that, sterling silver has 92.5% silver and the rest, copper. The percentile is where from sterling silver got its .925 prefix from. The metal is a touch harder than pure silver and that makes it a preferred choice of metal for jewelry making. The harder a metal is, the easier it gets for craftsmen to etch great details in the pieces. This is why .925 sterling silver jewelries have some of the most complex details ever.

The Known Advantages of .925 Sterling Silver Jewelries

.925 sterling silver is known for its anti-tarnishing trait. While pure silver is pretty difficult to work with, .925 offers the resilience and rigidity that is required to draw fine details. The ornaments come out unscathed from complex workings like setting of stones. Another important point about .925 sterling silver jewelries is that the metal is not an irritant. It is not known to cause skin irritation of any kind to its wearers. These jewelries are also a lot more easily affordable than gold and other precious metal ornaments. Some of the most affordable accessories are available in the .925 section.

How to identify .925 Sterling Silver?

There are litmus tests that can tell you if a jewelry is honestly .925 or not. There are actually quite a few ways to know for a fact that the item you are holding in your hands is a pure 925 sterling silver piece.

* Wipe the ornament with a clean white piece of cloth. If the cloth picks up some mild dark stains from the rub, know that it is the real 925 silver. The black mark comes from oxidization of silver in contact with air.

* Sniff the ornament. If its smells rusty or coppery, it is not real silver. Silver with too much copper in it gives out the piquant coppery smell whereas .925 sterling silver doesn’t smell of anything.

These little tests will help you determine the authenticity of the artefact, so that you know what you are paying for, even when your seller doesn’t offer you a certificate of authentication.