Is Sterling Silver 925 Worth Anything? Is sterling silver valuable? How much is sterling silver worth? These questions you may ask when you want to buy silver jewelry.
In this post, you will learn more about the answers.
If you’ve set your eyes on buying the best of Sterling Silver jewelry, you need first to know how to differentiate Sterling Silver from pure silver and any other metals that look like sterling silver.
The primary reason why we recommend this as your first step has to do with the fact that the silver earrings marketed as pure silver are not really pure silver.
There’s no pure silver jewelry on the market – pure silver is most likely 99% or 99.9% silver with the remaining percentage made of copper or other metals.
Pure silver is too soft to be made into a durable piece of jewelry, hence the addition of other metals.
Sterling Silver?
If pure silver isn’t really pure, what’s special about sterling silver?
Sterling silver jewelry is made of 92.5% silver with the rest (7.5%) mostly comprising of copper – basically, 925parts silver, 75 parts copper. This silver/ copper composition is the reason why sterling silver is often dubbed 925 Sterling silver or even 925 silver.
This is a 925 sterling silver chain below!
Why combine silver with other metals?
Pure silver is very soft, and its softness makes it quite difficult for jewelry manufacturers to come up with new designs.
The introduction of new metals and blending processes that create silver alloys result in the hardness of the silver alloy, hence the ability to create complex and intricate jewelry designs.
For these reasons, sterling silver, and not pure silver is used to make fine jewelry.
Recently, people often send emails to ask what is 925 Italy on jewelry?
So, let me explain to you: If you find your jewelry engraved with ‘925 Italy,’ it simply means the item has at least 92.5% pure silver and is made from Italy.
These engraved words are only found in sterling silver products, meaning those made of a mixture of silver and other metals.
If you guys want to know a more detailed answer! This post is just for you. We talk about 925 Italy in detail. Check here to read: What Does 925 Italy Mean on a Silver Necklace?
So, is sterling silver 925 worth anything?
Yes, but only if we are talking about the real thing.
Sterling silver, 92.5% pure silver is quite valuable. With pure silver regarded as one of the precious metals from Mother Earth, owning real sterling silver is quite something.
The catch, however, is that sterling silver is not cheap which means that if someone sells to you a sterling silver ring or necklace that’s supposedly stamped with the S925 or 925 mark cheaply, you might want to run for the hills.
If you buy a genuine piece of sterling silver jewelry, then you have in your hands a very worthy investment, whose value increases with time.
Unfortunately, most of us have been duped by supposed genuine sellers of sterling silver jewelry which means that the pieces you have kept so well are not worth anything. Your silver jewelry is only worth something if it’s genuine. Silver-plated jewelry doesn’t count either because of the low silver content, and also the fact that the silver chips with time, leaving you with nothing.
So, while sterling silver costs less than gold jewelry, real sterling silver is still expensive.
Is 925 sterling silver expensive?
The price of real silver, per gram, differs from one buyer to another.
Since sterling silver is largely made from pure silver, it’s relatively pricey. The price will, however, depend on the gemstones included in your piece.
The price also depends on the brand name associated with the jewelry piece you’ve purchased.
Generally, the price of sterling silver fluctuates significantly, and its high or low price tag depends on different things like the added details and the brand’s value.
For example, Tiffany jewelry and Pandora jewelry both are great jewelry brands. But, Tiffany jewelry is much more famous than Pandora jewelry. Both jewelries are made of 925 sterling silver. But Tiffany jewelry has more brand’s value. So, Tiffany jewelry is more expensive than Pandora jewelry.
Regarding the value of sterling silver jewelry, the prices are highly variable, and you can buy a piece of jewelry from as little as $20 to even $500 or higher. The other factors that determine the price of the sterling silver piece include the composition, as well as the style of the piece.
If you are unsure about the authenticity of your jewelry piece, you might want first to confirm that you are dealing with the real thing before you start asking about the prices.
Authenticity Test
Just because that ring looks, silver doesn’t mean that it’s actually a pure sterling silver ring. You might be dealing with coated or plated silver jewelry. To test for authenticity,
Stamp: If you bought your sterling silver jewelry from a reputable jeweler, the piece should feature an identifier marked as STER, 925, or in other cases, Sterling Silver. The absence of these markers shows that you are dealing with a fake or a silver-plated piece. Please watch a short video below. You guys can see a 925 stamp on the ring! This is a real ring!
Black Marks – a genuine sterling silver piece leaves black marks when rubbed using a clean, soft piece of cloth. So, if you don’t spot any black spots, you’re most likely dealing with a metal that is not silver. Here is a real detailed post that will teach you guys how to test silver without markings.
Silver smell – sterling silver doesn’t have a metallic smell. So, if your piece has a metallic smell, you have copper or some other metal and not silver.
Magnetic Test – Sterling silver is not magnetic, and it should not be attracted by a magnet.
You could run these authenticity tests at home before you go to the pawnshop or wherever else you wish the get the pieces valued.
Is sterling silver more expensive than gold?
No. Gold jewelry costs more than sterling silver. The main reason for the price difference lies in the durability and also the rarity of gold, in comparison with silver. Gold is also more valuable than silver.
Benefits of Sterling Silver
- It’s very versatile, and you can wear a silver piece of jewelry with just about anything from formal wear to a t-shirt and jeans.
- It’s popular and affordable
- Hypoallergenic if it’s free of nickel
- It’s durable
Disadvantages of Sterling Silver
- There’s a lot of misleading information about the genuineness of sterling silver pieces, and most of the available pieces are silver-plated
- Some are non-hypoallergenic
- It tarnishes easily
Is 925 sterling silver good quality?
A lot of people ask this question. The answer is YES. 925 Sterling silver has a very good quality. 999 pure silver is a little bit soft. But 925 silver is much harder than 999 silver. It is more scratch-resistant than pure silver. As you guys know, there are millions of silver jewelry out there. Here, I write a topic for you guys: is sterling silver good for engagement rings?
Conclusion
Sterling silver is a copper alloy, and though this impurity makes it easier to work with silver, it affects the overall value of silver. Even so, genuine sterling silver pieces are valuable and worthy investments in the long run for anyone interested in good-quality jewelry.
Sterling Silver might be an imperfect type of jewelry, and you might have to be very cautious when searching for the best piece. However, the real sterling silver jewelry is worth the price.
Use the recommended tests above to determine whether your piece is authentic and valuable or not.
Thanks for reading. If you guys want to read more jewelry metal-related articles, please read here. or go to our home page for more info.
Tiger is a fashion&jewelry lover. He is also a fashion jewelry manufacturer that help thousands of small business to grow and also do business with some big fashion jewelry brands. He is a truly metal expert and he will share some information you are looking for.