Sterling Silver vs Silver-Plated Jewellery: What's the Difference?
When shopping for jewellery, you'll often come across both Sterling Silver and Silver-Plated jewellery. While they may look similar, they're made very differently and offer different levels of quality, durability and value.
Here at Essential Jewellery all of our jewellery is 925 Sterling Silver.
What is Sterling Silver?
Sterling silver is made from 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper, which is why it's stamped 925.
Because it's made from real silver throughout, sterling silver is considered fine jewellery. It's durable enough for everyday wear, easy to polish and restore (use our polishing cloth), and with the right care, can last for years.
What is Silver-Plated Jewellery?
Silver-plated jewellery is made by applying a thin layer of silver over a base metal such as brass or copper.
It's commonly considered fashion jewellery because the silver is only on the surface. Over time, everyday wear can cause the plating to fade, exposing the base metal underneath.
Silver-plated jewellery is a great option for trend-led styles, but it isn't designed to last in the same way as sterling silver.
Why is Sterling Silver More Expensive?
Sterling silver costs more because it's made from a precious metal throughout the entire piece, rather than a thin surface coating.
As silver is a globally traded precious metal, its price changes with supply and demand. Combined with the craftsmanship needed to create quality jewellery, this makes sterling silver a more valuable investment that can be enjoyed for years.
What is Recycled Sterling Silver?
Recycled sterling silver is genuine silver that's recovered from sources such as old jewellery, technology, cars, silverware and manufacturing offcuts.
The silver is refined back to its pure form before being made into new 925 sterling silver jewellery. Once refined, there's no difference in quality, appearance or durability compared to newly mined silver.
Does Essential Jewellery use Recycled Sterling Silver?
Yes. Many of our pieces are crafted from Recycled Sterling Silver with the aim to increase our recycled silver usage in our jewellery in years to come.
Why Can Recycled Silver Cost More?
Although it reuses existing materials, recycled silver isn't always cheaper.
Before it can become new jewellery, the silver must be collected, sorted, refined, tested and remanufactured. This specialist process requires advanced equipment, skilled craftsmanship and significant energy, which all contribute to the cost of making the jewellery.
Some jewellers choose recycled silver because it helps reduce the demand for newly mined materials while maintaining the same high quality.
Which Should You Choose?
If you're looking for affordable jewellery to wear with the latest fast fashion trends, silver-plated jewellery is a great fashion option.
If you want jewellery you'll wear every day and enjoy for years to come (and for the trends that keep coming back around!), 925 sterling silver is the better investment. It offers lasting quality, timeless style and can be polished and restored whenever it needs a refresh.
At Essential Jewellery, we believe jewellery should be made to last. That's why our collections are crafted from genuine 925 sterling silver, giving you timeless and high quality pieces you'll reach for every day.
Caring For Sterling Silver:
Sterling Silver used for Jewellery is made up of a mixture of 92.5% Silver and 7.5% copper. This is to strengthen the Silver, as 100% Pure Silver is too soft for daily use, it would simply break.
The Copper used to strengthen the Silver is what causes the tarnishing when reacting with Sulphur-containing compounds and moisture in the air.
(Fun fact even the PH in our own skin can react with the Copper.)
Think of tarnish as a layer of dust.
All you simply need to do, is polish.
Polishing cloths made with high quality cotton impregnated with a Silver cleaner and anti-tarnish agent works best, as it is nice and gentle on the Silver. There is also no need to rinse after! So you can even polish while you watch your favourite TV show.
We recommend checking your Silver once a month to see if there is any visible tarnish.
Try not to polish too often otherwise you can risk removing microscopic layers of metal which can cause long term damage to your Silver.
