Lots of people enter our store with an intention of selling various silver items. However, many people do not realize the key differences between items that are plated with silver, entirely .925 silver, and entirely .999 silver. So, we have created a brief outline highlighting the main variances that identify each category of silver.
SILVER PLATED:
An item that is silver plated can also simply be known as “plated.” It consists of a metal alloy surrounded by a thin silver coating. This means that only a fragment of the item’s total weight is considered to be silver. Some silver plated items will not have any identifying stamp white others will read “plated” on the actual metal.
.925 SILVER:
.925 silver is also known as sterling silver. It contains 92.5% pure silver content and the remaining 7.5% is made up of other metals. This means that only 92.5% of the item’s total weight is considered to be silver. Almost all sterling silver items will have a stamp that reads either “.925” or “sterling” on the actual metal.
.999 SILVER:
.999 silver is also known as pure silver. It contains 99.9% pure silver content which is the highest obtainable purity. This means that the item’s total weight is considered to be silver. Almost all items that are pure silver will have a stamp that reads “.999” on the actual metal.
Accurate Precious Metals Coins, Jewelry & Diamonds is a trusted silver buyer in Salem, Oregon. We have state of the art testing equipment that allows us to assay each item in a matter of seconds. Our clients are able to see all of the results with the exact percentages of each metal. Please visit us today with the items you are interested in selling and you will receive a complimentary testing on each piece.