925 Silver

925 silver refers to a silver alloy that is 92.5% pure. Pure silver is very soft and easily damaged, so for most practical purposes silver is mixed (alloyed) with other metals in order to strengthen it. 925 silver is one of many different silver alloys.

With silver alloys being common practice, it is important to know how much silver has been used in any given item, especially when making a valuation. To ensure all claims are accurate, the purity of silver used is shown via silver hallmarks . These are applied by independent assay offices, whose experts test and guarantee the purity of an item. Generally, all silver items should have some sort of hallmark to certify the silver content, and this should be in terms of fineness.

Fineness measures purity in parts per 1,000. Therefore 925 silver refers to a silver alloy composed of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% made up by another metal or metals.

Silver can be made to any fineness, but by convention there are a few standards that are commonly used.