What does 925 mean on jewelry?
925 on jewellery means sterling silver: at least 925 parts in 1,000, or 92.5%, pure silver, with the rest usually copper. S925, Sterling and 925 Italy make the same claim. On a gold-coloured piece, 925 means silver under a gold coat, such as gold plating or vermeil, not gold. In the US the stamp is the maker’s or seller’s own claim, so check the listing’s Metal type field too.
What does the 925 stamp mean?
The number is the silver content in parts per thousand: at least 925 of every 1,000 parts of the metal are pure silver, which is 92.5%. GIA calls 925 the most common standard for silver jewellery. Silver is naturally soft, so the other 7.5% is other metals, usually copper, which strengthen it. The US FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR 23.5) call it misleading to use the words "solid silver", "Sterling Silver", "Sterling" or "Ster." unless the metal is at least 925/1,000ths pure silver, so 925 and sterling are the same standard. The Guides follow the tolerances of the National Stamping Act: a sterling article or part with no solder in it may test up to 4 parts per thousand short, and a part that contains solder up to 10 parts per thousand short. In a UK hallmark, 925 is the fineness mark for sterling, and a fineness mark in parts per thousand is one of the compulsory marks. Sellers write the same claim several ways: 925, S925, Sterling or Ster. S925 is the same number with an S in front, and listings often pair it with the words, as in "S925 Sterling Silver". A country name after the number, as in 925 Italy, does not change the metal claim: it is still 925.
Where do you find the 925 stamp?
The mark is small, so use a 10x loupe or your phone camera’s zoom. Check the places a stamp can sit without showing when the piece is worn: inside the band of a ring, on or beside the clasp of a chain or bracelet, on the post or back of an earring, and on the back or bail of a pendant. Next to the 925 you should find a maker’s mark. Under US law, a maker or dealer who stamps a gold or silver quality mark on a piece, or imports a stamped piece, must add its trademark or name before mailing the piece or shipping it to another state, applied the same way as the quality mark, in lettering at least as large and as close to it as possible (15 U.S.C. 297(b)). The same section says that when a piece is made of parts that are complete in themselves but not of the same quality, and one part is stamped, each other part must carry a quality mark of like pattern and size stating its own quality. In the UK, it is against the law for a business to sell, or describe as silver, an unhallmarked silver piece above the exemption weight, which for silver is 7.78 g. The compulsory marks are the sponsor’s mark, the fineness mark (925 for sterling) and the assay office mark. The London Assay Office counts each earring as a separate article, so a pair of small studs may carry no hallmark at all.
How is 925 different from 999, coin silver and German silver?
| Mark or name | What it is | Silver in it |
|---|---|---|
| 999, fine silver | Nearly pure silver. GIA says it is very soft and easily scratched and dented, so it is less common in rings and bracelets | 99.9% |
| 925, S925, Sterling, Ster., solid silver | Sterling silver, the jewellery standard, with the rest usually copper | At least 92.5% |
| Coin or coin silver | A term the FTC Guides reserve for metal of at least 900/1,000ths pure silver | At least 90% |
| A number before the word silver, such as 750 silver | The FTC Guides say the word silver on its own needs a fineness number right in front of it, giving the pure silver in parts per thousand | As stated: 750 means 75% |
| Silver plated, silver electroplate, EPNS | A coat of silver over another metal; EPNS means electroplated nickel silver. US law bars stamping plated pieces sterling or coin, and the FTC Guides say the word silver on a coated piece should make clear it is only coated | Only the surface coat |
| German silver, nickel silver, alpaca | No silver at all: an alloy of copper (53 to 63%), nickel (7 to 30%) and zinc that only looks like silver | None |
The 999 and 925 rows follow GIA; the coin, number and plated rows follow 16 CFR 23.5 and 15 U.S.C. 297(a); the German silver row follows Britannica and the State Library Victoria’s hallmarking guide. Our silver page shows sterling and fine silver pieces with the weights their listings give.
What does 925 mean on gold-coloured jewellery?
It means the metal under the colour is sterling silver, not gold. The gold colour is a coat on the surface, such as gold plating or vermeil. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR 23.4), a piece may be called vermeil if it is sterling silver coated on all significant surfaces with gold or gold alloy of at least 10 karat, with a coat equal to at least 2.5 microns (about 100 millionths of an inch) of fine gold throughout. If a base metal such as nickel sits between the silver and the gold, the Guides say the seller should disclose it. "Gold plated 925" promises the silver but not that thickness: the FTC’s example of an acceptable electroplated "gold plated" coat is 0.175 microns of fine gold, about a fourteenth of the vermeil minimum (16 CFR 23.3). The Guides themselves note that some surfaces of a piece get more wear than others. Where the gold wears away, the white silver shows, and that silver can tarnish like any other. Gold alloy is typically stamped with its karat instead, such as 14K, 18K or 750, as GIA notes: see how to tell if gold is real. For vermeil and gold over sterling, see our gold-plated silver page.
Can a 925 stamp be fake?
Yes. In the US, the maker or dealer applies the 925 itself, and the law asks it to put its trademark or name beside the mark. A UK hallmark, by contrast, means an assay office has independently tested the piece. The FTC Guides treat misstating silver content as unfair or deceptive (16 CFR 23.5), and US law bars stamping plated pieces sterling, but a punch can strike 925 on any metal, and the stamp alone cannot show the difference. So check four things. Read the listing’s Metal type or Material field under Product details, not just the title: our jewellery metals guide shows a set of hoops titled 925 Sterling Silver whose own Material field says copper. Look for the maker’s mark beside the 925; a bare 925 is one more reason to test. Look at worn spots: edges, the clasp and the inside of a ring. Sterling is the same alloy all the way through, so if yellow or pink metal shows through at worn spots, the white surface is plating over a base metal such as brass or copper. A green mark on skin comes from copper reacting with sweat or lotion, and sterling contains some copper, so a faint mark does not prove a fake, but a strong mark every time is a reason to test it: see does sterling silver turn your skin green. Have it tested by a jeweller before the return window closes if it cost more than a little. Our guide to reading a gem listing covers the other listing words.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does S925 mean?
The same as 925: sterling silver, at least 925 parts per thousand pure silver. Listings often write it as "S925 Sterling Silver". It is still the seller’s claim, so read the listing’s Metal type field and look for a maker’s mark beside the stamp.
Does 925 mean gold?
No. 925 is a silver mark. On a gold-coloured piece it means sterling silver under a gold-coloured coat. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides, that coat may be called vermeil if it is gold of at least 10 karat, equal to at least 2.5 microns of fine gold.
Is 925 silver real silver?
Yes, if the stamp is honest. It is 92.5% pure silver; the other 7.5% is usually copper, which makes it stronger than pure silver. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides, even "solid silver" means at least 925/1,000ths silver, the same as sterling.
Is 925 or 999 silver better for jewellery?
For most jewellery, 925. Fine silver (999) is purer, but GIA notes it is very soft and easily scratched and dented, which is why it is less common in rings and bracelets. Sterling’s copper makes it stronger for pieces that take knocks.
Does 925 silver tarnish?
Yes. GIA notes that silver tarnishes when exposed to air and moisture. Tarnish is a thin surface layer, mainly black silver sulphide, and the Canadian Conservation Institute says a polishing cloth suits lightly tarnished silver. GIA says rhodium plating protects silver from tarnish, but DermNet notes that such plating eventually wears off and needs redoing.
Sources
- US FTC Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR 23.5: misrepresentation as to silver content (solid silver, Sterling Silver, Sterling and Ster. at least 925/1,000ths; coin at least 900; a fineness number before "silver"; coated pieces; National Stamping Act tolerances) (Cornell LII)
- US FTC Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR 23.4: misuse of the word vermeil (sterling coated with 10K or better gold, at least 2.5 microns fine-gold equivalent; base-metal layer must be disclosed) (Cornell LII)
- US FTC Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR 23.3: misrepresentation as to gold content (gold plated electroplate example of 0.175 microns; surfaces subject to different degrees of wear) (Cornell LII)
- 15 U.S.C. 297: plated articles may not be stamped sterling or coin; trademark or name beside a quality mark; marks on parts not identical in quality (Cornell LII)
- GIA 4Cs: White gold vs silver (925 means 92.5% silver, the rest usually copper; the most common standard for silver jewellery; 999 is soft; tarnish; rhodium plating; karat stamps)
- The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office, London: FAQs (925 indicating sterling; 7.78 g exemption for silver; unhallmarked articles above the exemptions; each earring a separate article)
- The Goldsmiths’ Company Assay Office, London: UK hallmarks (sponsor’s, millesimal fineness and assay office marks compulsory; a hallmark means independent testing)
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Nickel silver (also called German silver; copper, nickel and zinc; contains no silver; 53 to 63% copper, 7 to 30% nickel)
- State Library Victoria, Hallmarking research guide: Silver plating (EPNS is electroplated nickel silver; nickel silver has no silver in it until plated)
- Canadian Conservation Institute: Silver, care and tarnish removal, CCI Notes 9/7 (tarnish is a thin layer, mainly black silver sulphide; polishing cloths for lightly tarnished silver)
- DermNet: Jewellery allergy (sterling alloyed with copper; rhodium plating eventually wears off and needs re-plating)
- Nebraska Medicine: Why does some jewelry turn my skin green? (copper reacting with sweat or lotion)
- Wikipedia: Nickel silver (support: no silver in it; Alpacca as a trade name; EPNS)
Keep reading
Amazon links are affiliate links (tag thegemtray-20): buying through them costs you nothing extra and supports the site. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.