When you’re out in the market, and it’s the festive season, silver jewelry is something that attracts many young girls as a daily wear festive wear. When looking at the wholesale silver gemstone jewelry and wholesale Indian silver earrings, you, as an educated consumer, must realize the differences between sterling silver jewelry and pure silver jewelry. Some of these differences are listed below.

1) Percentage of Silver:

Pure silver, also called fine silver, is constituted of 99.9% silver (Ag). This level of purity in silver is never seen in jewelry because of its extreme softness, which makes it unsuitable for jewelry making or any other functional use. Sterling silver, on the other hand, is an alloy of silver, which has 92.5% pure silver, and the remaining 7.5% is made up of some other metal, usually copper, nickel or zinc, to retain the beauty of silver, while incorporating it with the hardness and malleability of the other metal. This makes sterling silver the purest form of silver available in the jewelry market.

2) Tarnishing and Corrosion Resistance:

Pure silver is one of the least reactive metals, according to the reactivity series. In fact, sterling silver is more prone to corrosion and tarnishing, as the copper, nickel, or zinc it contains might react with the compounds present in the air. Regardless, you must always take special care of all your silver jewelry and ensure that it has minimal exposure to the atmosphere.

3) Marking and Certification:

Pure silver or fine silver is usually marketed as 999, 99.9, or .999. This remains the same in different parts of the world. However, the standards for sterling silver vary across the world. In the US, it is marked at 925, .925, or 92.5. In Russia and Germany, however, silver that is less than 90% pure silver is still marked as sterling silver. This makes it essential to enquire about the actual silver content on the jewelry you wish to buy, and also pay attention to its stamp.

4) Testing the Purity of Silver:

Pure silver and sterling silver is non-magnetic, and so does not get attracted to magnets. However, if your silver jewelry gets attracted to magnets, then it is of a purity lower than 92.5%. You can also test the purity using an acid test. In case the color of the acid changes when you put a shaving of the silver jewelry into it, it means that the piece has a purity of less than 92.5%.

With these differences in mind, you now know the distinction between pure silver and sterling silver and can also make informed choices on what kind of silver is worth buying.