In its pure form silver is almost as soft as gold, and therefore is usually alloyed with copper for strength. Caratage is not marked because, legally, anything called “silver” or “sterling silver” is 92.5% pure.Purity is really not something to worry about with silver. Fine Silver in its natural state, 999/1000 pure, is too soft an element for practical jewellery. To make it workable, an alloy such as copper is added.
Sterling Silver is a mixture of 92.5 % pure silver (925 parts) and 7.5 % metal alloy. Sterling Silver jewellery are usually stamped “925”. When people refer to “Silver jewellery” they usually refer to “Sterling silver jewellery”. Silver is far less expensive than any of the other white metals, and therefore mostly smaller diamonds are used in silver jewellery. Silver is popular among younger people attempting a less-formal look in their accessorizing, and among those who simply find gold and platinum too old-world and ostentatious.
