What's the Difference Between .925 Sterling Silver and .999 Fine Silver?
So, what's the difference between .925 sterling silver and .999 fine silver? Watch the video for a brief explanation or read the summary below!
One of the most frequently asked questions we receive here in the workshop is, “What’s the difference between fine silver and sterling silver?” We’ve all heard of sterling silver, right? .925? That means the piece is made up of about 92% silver, 7% copper, and the rest is made up of some other metals. We use .999 fine silver which means it’s 99.9% silver and the difference is that the fine silver is softer. It enables us to easily bend and adjust our jewelry as we create it and it also enables the wearer to easily adjust and bend their cuffs and rings for a nice fit! Sterling silver is a little harder. It enables jewelers to create really nice engravings, set stones and create more intricate designs that require a stronger metal.
Another question we get asked a lot is which one tarnishes the most? Well, all silver is going to tarnish – but not if you wear it! ;) If you wear it all the time, it won’t tarnish because of the oils in your body basically keeping the piece clean. But if you want to store your pieces in a jewelry box or something similar, your sterling silver will always tarnish faster and harder than fine silver.
