What is sterling silver?
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925, which is why it is often referred to as .925 Sterling Silver Fine silver (which is 99.9% pure) is generally too soft for producing large functional objects such as jewelry; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength, while at the same time preserving the ductility and beauty of the precious silver metal.
