What is 925 Silver
Probably,
you have heard about 925 silver that is used
in the silver jewelry and you
have wondered what that is. Well, first it is a
number that is put in
front of the sterling silver, but what importance has
this thing to you?
925 silver is a standard used by craftsmen and you, as a
customer, should
know a little about it when you buy a present for someone, and
insist that
the piece of jewelry you are after conforms to this
standard. Pure silver cannot be used
in making jewelry as it is
extremely malleable and it can suffer damage
easily. It also tends to get very
soft, even in conditions of normal
temperature. That is why 925 silver is used
and not the pure form of the
precious metal. The method craftsmen use
to increase the strength of the
metal consists of adding other materials to silver. The life span of the jewels
made of silver depends on this
process, as problems like malleability and
softening can make them break
apart. By combining pure silver with alloys, the
craftsmen make pieces of
jewelry that are more resistant to scratching and
damage. One of these combinations is the
one known as 925
sterling silver. It is a blending mix obtained from 92.5%
silver and 7.5%
copper. Copper is not always used by craftsmen and it can
be replaced by other
metals or combinations of materials. This is
considered the best choice as
copper is cheap and the refining techniques
have improved during the last
years. By adding copper to silver,
craftsmen have managed to
obtain a highly reliable alloy that is
successfully used in the jewelry
industry. The combination is very
popular as the silver craftsmen can make
earrings, rigs, bracelets and
other pieces of silver jewelry, knowing that
their work will be resistant
and durable. One may think that by adding
other metals to pure
silver, the quality becomes lower. But this is not
the case with 925 silver. This alloy enhances the jewelry properties and
copper is only a very small part
in the combination. Sometimes, craftsmen
can use a copper substitute for a
similar
result. So, as a customer, it is good to
know if the silver
jewel you purchase is made of 925 sterling silver. A
way to verify this is by
checking the jewels hallmark. In the UK, the 925
silver jewelry is almost
entirely hallmarked. For instance, the silver
jewelry Purdice complies with all
the hallmarking requirements. In other
countries, you should check with the
national or regional hallmarking body
to find out where to buy good quality 925
silver jewelry, in case that the
jewelry sellers refuse to inform you about
these
aspects. The 925 hallmark represents, in
many countries, the fact
that the jewel you are buying is of the highest
quality.
