The addition of these other metals makes sterling silver significantly stronger and more durable. This 7.5% is usually made of copper or zinc. Sterling silver is 92.5% silver and 7.5% alloy. This means that sterling silver is a combination of metals instead of just one single metal (like with pure silver, for example). Sterling silver is what's known as a metal alloy. If pure silver, aka fine silver, is as pure as you can get, it makes sense that " sterling silver" isn't quite as pure, although it's close. This stamp is usually "999" or ".999" or "99.9" to indicate that it is 99.9% silver, as fine silver must be to be considered fine silver. Stampįine silver is also usually stamped with a marker to indicate that it is indeed fine silver. This means that the gasses in the air react with silver, which causes discoloring, fading, and what looks like a "dirty" layer on the top of silver products. They can be easily bent, made misshapen, or damaged, which is why fine silver is mostly reserved to make fine jewelry. This softness also means that fine silver items aren't as durable.
Because of this, pure silver is not generally used to make fine and delicate jewelry items. Pure silver is quite soft and difficult to shape properly, which makes it hard to use to make items that require daily use or specific shapes. It will contain very few trace elements (only 0.01%), but it's essentially pure silver (hence the name). Chemical MakeupĪny item described as pure silver, or also as fine silver, are as purely silver as you can get: it's made of 99.9% pure elemental silver. Silver is one of the elements on the periodic table with the symbol Ag. This is true whether you own sterling silver or pure silver, since most times you can't tell the status of the silver at a quick glance.īut let's look into how these two materials do differ, shall we? Pure Silver Silver items have long been known as symbols of wealth and prosperity. Sterling Silver vs Silver: What's the Difference? We're going to answer all of these questions and more in this sterling silver vs silver guide. Minted annually by the Austrian government, beginning in 2008, they contain one ounce of 99.9% pure silver.Did you think that sterling silver and regular silver were the same thing? They're actually two distinct materials with different make-ups, care techniques, lifespans, and prices.īut what exactly are these differences? Is there one that's better in the sterling silver vs silver debate? Which should you go for the next time you want to buy a "silver" item?