What is 925 Sterling Silver?

Generally 925 sterling silver is made up of 92.5% silver and 7.5% copper, thus marked 925 or .925. Sterling silver is a silver alloy that contains 92.25% pure silver. Pure silver is too soft to create jewellery, so copper is added to harden the silver but not to lose any of the silvers colour or quality. All 925 sterling silver will tarnish over time which is why some we tend to use Rhodium Plate to cover our silver jewellery. Rhodium plating prevents the silver from tarnishing and has a gorgeous, shiny finish. Plating a silver item in rhodium will add lustre and help protect the item from tarnishing. Rhodium plating is a brilliant silvery white colour and is very hard and durable. Rhodium is an alloy of platinum, one of the most precious metals in the world. Rhodium plate will eventually wear off over a period of time depending on the amount of use the jewellery receives.