Is 925 gold or silver?

Short answer: 925 means silver. A piece stamped 925 is sterling silver: 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% another metal, nearly always copper. It is not gold, and there is no such thing as "925 gold".

Why the number is 925

Pure silver is too soft to hold a stone or keep a shape, so it is mixed with a harder metal. The number is the proportion of silver in parts per thousand: 925 parts silver out of 1000. That is where "sterling" and "925" mean the same thing.

How gold is marked instead

Gold uses the same parts-per-thousand idea but different numbers, because gold jewellery is alloyed to different standards:

  • 375 - 9 carat, 37.5% gold
  • 585 - 14 carat, 58.5% gold
  • 750 - 18 carat, 75% gold
  • 916 - 22 carat, 91.6% gold

So if you read 925 on a piece, you are holding silver. If you read 585 or 750, you are holding gold. The two sets of numbers do not overlap.

Then why does my 925 piece look gold?

Because it is probably gold plated. A thin layer of gold is applied over the sterling silver underneath, and the piece is still stamped 925 for the base metal. This is sometimes called vermeil when the gold layer is thick enough. It is a real silver piece with a real gold surface - not solid gold, and priced accordingly.

Is 925 silver valuable?

It has the value of its silver content plus the work in it. Sterling is the standard for serious silver jewellery worldwide precisely because it balances purity against durability. A handmade sterling piece is worth far more than its metal weight, in the same way a tailored coat is worth more than its cloth.

How to check a mark

Look on the inside of a ring band, on the clasp of a chain, or on the back of a pendant. The stamp is small and often needs a loupe or a phone camera at full zoom. On our pieces the 925 stamp is there on the silver itself, and the gold-plated ones carry it too.

In short

925 = silver. Gold has its own numbers. A gold-coloured 925 piece is gold plating over sterling silver.

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