What is the difference between 925 silver and silver?

Question

i've bought a bracelet for my girlfriend it said it was 925 silver which means nothing to me yet when we received the item it seems really light for silver

Answer 1

Yeah, like Allen B said....well he's convinced me!

Answer 2

The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. Sterling is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper.



Pair of sterling silver forks.Fine silver (99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength, while at the same time preserving the ductility and beauty of the precious metal. Other metals can replace the copper, usually with the intent to improve various properties of the basic sterling alloy such as reducing casting porosity, eliminating firescale, and increasing resistance to tarnish. These replacement metals include germanium, zinc and platinum, as well as a variety of other additives, including silicon and boron. A number of alloys have appeared in recent years, formulated to lessen firescale or to inhibit tarnish, and this has sparked heavy competition among the various manufacturers, who are rushing to make claims of having the best formulation. However, no one alloy has emerged to replace copper as the industry standard, and alloy development is a very active area.

Answer 3

925 silver means it has a millesimal fineness of 925.

In simple terms it is 92.5% Pure silver and 7.5% other metals (usually copper), this is often known as sterling silver.

Pure silver (99.9% Silver) is usually to soft to make functional objects.

Dont worry. Sterling silver is good.

If its a chain, the reason it might feel light is that, each chain link is hollow eg. its made of a tube rather than being made solid, which is quite common practice as it makes the item more comfortable to wear and obviously more affordable.

Answer 4

my tiffany bracelet says 925 on it and i doubt tiffany would use cheap silver