Pure silver, also known as fine silver, has a silver content of 99.9%. This high purity makes it too soft to use for jewelry making. Copper is added to pure silver to create sterling silver, which results in a much more durable metal. Sterling silver has a purity of 92.5%, the remaining 7.5% is copper or other metals (like zinc or nickel).
However, these additional metals used to create sterling silver can make it more prone to corrode. Copper, zinc, and nickel react to oxygen and other elements in the air and may cause silver to tarnish. But don’t worry, this is easily fixed! Check out our Caring for Sterling Silver guide now to learn more.
