What is Sterling Silver?
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper.
Sterling Silver vs. Pure Silver: What Is the Difference?
Certified sterling silver will be stamped or marked with the word “sterling” or “925.”. Pure silver, for example 99.9% pure silver, is relatively soft, so silver is usually alloyed with copper to increase its hardness and strength. Sterling silver is prone to tarnishing, and elements other than copper can be used in alloys to reduce tarnishing, as well as casting porosity and firescale.
Such elements include:
- germanium
- zinc
- platinum
- silicon
- boron
Recent examples of alloys using these metals include:
- argentium
- sterlium
- sterilite
- silvadium
