Is 925 sterling silver real silver?

Yes. It contains 92.5% silver by weight. The remaining 7.5% is usually copper, added to give the metal enough hardness to survive daily wear.

Is sterling silver better than gold?

Neither is better; they are different materials. Sterling is harder than 24k gold and far less expensive. Gold resists tarnishing better and holds value. For silver-toned jewelry with natural stones, sterling is the standard choice.

Will 925 silver turn my skin green?

A green mark is a reaction between copper in the alloy and your skin's acidity, not a sign that the piece is fake. It happens more with plated jewelry, where base metal contacts skin directly. Keeping the piece clean and dry reduces it.

Can sterling silver be worn in the shower or while swimming?

It can, but it will tarnish faster. Chlorine, salt and soap residue all accelerate the process. Taking pieces off before swimming meaningfully extends the time between polishes.

How can I tell if jewelry is sterling silver?

Look for a 925 or Sterling hallmark on the piece — inside a ring band, on a clasp, or on a small tag. If there is no hallmark and the listing only says “silver tone”, treat it as plated base metal.

What Is 925 Sterling Silver? A Practical Buyer's Guide

925 sterling silver is an alloy containing 92.5% silver by weight, with the remaining 7.5% made up of other metals — almost always copper. The number 925 is the purity figure, and in most countries it is also a legal hallmark.

That 7.5% is the whole reason sterling silver exists. Pure silver is beautiful and almost useless for jewelry: it is soft enough to bend with your hands and to wear away in a year of daily wear.

Why not just use pure silver?

Fine silver — 99.9% — is wonderfully resistant to tarnishing and takes a deep, soft white colour. It is also roughly as soft as a coin.

	Fine silver (999)	Sterling silver (925)	Silver-plated
Silver content	99.9%	92.5%	A thin surface layer only
Hardness	Soft — bends easily	Hard enough for daily wear	Base metal underneath
Tarnish resistance	Very good	Good	Poor to fair
Longevity	Deforms in wear	Decades with care	Wears through to base metal
Typical use	Heirloom, decorative	Jewelry as standard	Costume jewelry

Sterling is the compromise the industry settled on, and it is a good one. Copper adds hardness and, unavoidably, the tendency to tarnish that copper is known for.

How to tell whether a piece is really sterling

Look for the hallmark. A genuine sterling piece carries 925, Ster, Sterling or 925/1000 stamped somewhere — usually inside a ring band, on a clasp, or on a small tag near the clasp.
Check the weight. Sterling feels denser and cooler than plated brass of the same size. This is imprecise, but it is surprisingly reliable once you have held both.
Look at the wear points. On plated jewelry, high-contact areas like clasp edges and chain links show a different colour as the plating wears through. Sterling wears evenly.
Be careful with magnets. Silver is not magnetic, so a magnet sticking means it is not silver — but a magnet not sticking proves nothing, since brass and copper are also non-magnetic.

A note on “silver-coloured”Descriptions like “silver tone”, “silver look” or “white metal” are deliberately vague. They usually mean plated base metal. A seller who means sterling will say sterling.

What 925 does and does not guarantee

A hallmark tells you the metal content. It does not tell you:

How thick the metal is — a very thin sterling band will still deform.
How well it was made — a poor solder joint fails regardless of purity.
How the stone was set — a shallow setting can loosen over time.
That the piece was hand-finished — most jewelry is cast, and that is fine.

In other words, 925 is a starting point, not a quality verdict. It rules out the worst outcomes; it does not guarantee a good one.

Tarnish: the honest version

Sterling silver tarnishes because of the copper in it. Copper reacts with sulphur compounds in air and on skin, forming a dark surface layer. This is chemistry, not a manufacturing fault, and it happens to every sterling piece eventually — including expensive ones.

What varies is how fast. Humidity, air pollution, wool and rubber storage, perfume, sunscreen and household cleaners all accelerate it. A piece kept in a dry box tarnishes far more slowly than one left on a bathroom shelf.

There is a detailed fix in why sterling silver tarnishes, and how to bring it back.

Is 925 the right choice for everyday wear?

For most jewelry, yes. Bracelets, necklaces, earrings and rings in sterling silver are designed to be worn. Two caveats are worth knowing:

Rings take the most punishment — They meet door handles, desks and keys constantly. A bezel-set stone survives far better than a high prong setting.
Chains are where thickness matters — A very fine chain in any metal will eventually break. Weight, not purity, determines that.

How we use silver

Our silver work is sterling throughout — no plated components, including clasps and chain. Pieces are shaped, soldered, filed and finished by hand, which is why a finished bracelet carries small irregularities that a casting would not.

We do not polish those out. Hammer marks and softened edges are evidence of handwork, not defects. If you prefer a uniform machine finish, that is a legitimate preference — but it is a different product. See our silver collection for how the finish reads in practice.

925 is a guarantee about what is in the metal. Everything else — thickness, proportion, finish — is craft.