What does the hallmark 925 mean on silver jewellery?

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The 925 stamp on silver jewellery is all about the purity of the silver. It means that for every 1000 parts of material in the jewellery piece, 925 parts must be made of silver and no more than 75 parts should be a different metal. It breaks down into 92.5% silver and 7.5% an additional metal.

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What is sterling silver?

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Sterling silver is a combination of two metals. Pure or fine silver comprises 92.5% of the mixture and the other 7.5% consists of a different metal, usually copper. It is impossible to have silver jewellery made from 99.9% pure or fine silver because the content is far too soft to use alone. In order to harden the silver and to maintain the colour and lustre, pure silver is mixed with additional metal so that the new compound is firm and durable enough to be worked with by silversmiths.