Sterling silver: Jewelry made from 925 silver

The most common alloy for silver jewelry

As with buying gold, the main question when selling silver is what alloy the piece of jewelry to be sold is made of.

As with gold, the price when buying silver is essentially made up of three factors: The weight of a piece, the fineness of the silver, and the current price of silver on the world market.

In Austria, as in most parts of the world, silver jewelry is not made of pure fine silver, but mostly of a sterling silver alloy.

925 silver = sterling silver

Sterling silver is an alloy that consists of 925 thousand parts, i.e. 92.5%, of pure silver. The remaining 7.5% of the alloy consists of other metals, usually copper, but also nickel or zinc from case to case. The fineness of sterling silver is therefore 925/1000. Compared to pure silver, sterling silver is considerably harder due to the added metals.

The name sterling silver comes from the British pound sterling. In earlier years, silver pennies - popularly known as "sterlings" - were made from this very silver alloy.

Price for sterling silver

If you want to sell sterling silver, your first question is of course how much 925 sterling silver is worth. Our purchase prices for silver jewelry are always based on the current silver price. The value of your pieces then results from the weight of your pieces in grams, the fineness of your silver and the current price of silver.

Since the value of a piece depends on its fineness, it is irrelevant which metals were alloyed when purchasing it.

How do I recognize sterling silver?

You can recognize genuine sterling silver by a stamp or hallmark on your pieces. You will usually find a 925, .925, 92.5 or simply "sterling" mark on the back or inside of silver jewelry or the clasp of silver chains. Occasionally, sterling silver pieces are also coated with a thin layer of pure silver (999/1000). More rarely, however, pieces made of copper or nickel are "silver-plated" with a layer of sterling silver.

Because the by-metals copper, nickel or zinc react with the oxygen in the air, sterling silver also tarnishes.

Purchase of 925 silver from Gold & Co

You can sell all gold items with us, as well as items made of silver, platinum and palladium.

1. free valuation of all your pieces

No matter whether you come to one of our stores in 1090 or 1220 Vienna with a single ring or several pieces of jewelry: We will value both your gold and your silver free of charge and without any obligation. If you wish to sell your valuables, you will receive the money in cash immediately.

2. detailed examination by experts

We check each of your pieces individually and determine how high the fineness is. The higher the quality of the alloy, the higher the value of your pieces. In Austria, jewelry is usually made of 585 gold, i.e. an alloy with 58.5% pure gold, while silver jewelry is usually made of 925 silver.

925 sterling silver is also often used for coins, medals, silverware and silver cutlery. However, silver alloys from 800, 835, 925 to 935 can also be found.

If you want to sell different pieces, your items will be separated individually according to carat or fineness. We also check jewelry made of silver, palladium and platinum and pieces with diamonds or brilliant-cut diamonds.

3. comprehensive personal advice

We take time for you and explain the process of buying silver in Vienna step by step. We will be happy to answer all your questions about your items. Good advice is very important to us!

4. 100% transparency

With us, you are present when your items are weighed and can see the scales. Anything else would be dubious.

5. best prices when buying silver in Vienna

In addition to free and accurate valuations and detailed advice, we offer you top prices for your items. You can find all current purchase prices on our price overview page on Gold & Co.

You can't come to one of our branches in Vienna ? In such cases, Gold & Co. Goldankauf from all over Austria by post. Send us your silver, we will value your items free of charge and without obligation and make you a fair offer. If you accept our offer, you will receive your money immediately - if not, we will send your silver back to you free of charge.