Why Is It Called Sterling Silver?

SILVER BASICS | STERLING SILVER

Why Is It Called Sterling Silver? The Story Behind 925

By Oprata Silver Jewellery  |  11 min read

Turn a silver ring over and you'll usually find three small digits inside the band: 925. Most people have seen them. Very few know why the number isn't 100.

One of the most common messages in our WhatsApp inbox goes like this: "Is 925 real silver, or is it mixed?" It's a fair question. The honest answer is both. It is real silver, and it is mixed on purpose.

This guide explains what 925 means, where the word "sterling" came from, and how a coin from medieval England ended up on a ring in Delhi. I'll also share the simple checks I use before I trust any silver piece, including our own.

What does 925 mean on silver?

925 means the metal is 925 parts pure silver out of 1,000. The other 75 parts are usually copper. So a 10 gram sterling ring holds 9.25 grams of pure silver.

The number is called fineness. Jewellers write it out of 1,000 because it's precise and it's hard to fake with rounding. You'll see other numbers too. Here's how they compare.

In India, the Bureau of Indian Standards now lists seven silver grades under IS 2112:2025: 800, 835, 925, 958, 970, 990 and 999. For jewellery, 925 is the one you'll meet most often.

Why isn't jewellery made from pure silver?

Pure silver is too soft for jewellery you actually wear. A 999 ring can dent in a car door. A 999 clasp can stretch open. A claw holding a stone can bend back and let the stone fall out.

Adding a small amount of copper makes the metal harder and stronger. That one change is why a sterling ring can survive years of daily use while a pure silver one looks tired in months.

Think of iron and stainless steel. Iron on its own rusts easily, but stainless steel, which is iron mixed with other metals, stays strong and shiny. Sterling works the same way: a little copper turns soft pure silver into a metal that survives daily wear.

This matters even more for detailed work. When an artisan paints enamel onto silver, the base has to stay flat and firm, or the enamel cracks.

Amanta | 925 Silver Earrings and Pendant set for Women

Rs. 22,999

The top of our Van Gogh range, with hand painted ceramic enamel worked into a raised 3D floral design. Painting like this needs a sterling base that stays firm, and it shows why 925 is the right metal for art you wear.

Style it: Let the set do the talking. Pair it with a plain silk kurta or a solid dress and skip the bangles.

Is sterling silver real silver?

Yes. Sterling silver is real silver. It isn't plated, filled or coated. The silver runs all the way through the metal, and 92.5% of every gram is pure silver.

Silver plated jewellery is different. It's a cheaper base metal, like brass, with a thin layer of silver on top. When that layer wears off, the base shows through.

Here's my honest answer to "is it mixed?" Every gold ring you've ever worn is mixed too. 22 carat gold is 91.6% gold. Nobody calls it fake. Sterling is the same idea for silver.

Where does the word "sterling" come from?

Nobody knows for certain, but the best guess is the Old English word "steorling", which means a coin with a star. Some early Norman pennies carried small stars, and the name seems to have stuck to the coins and then to the silver they were made from.

There is an older theory you'll still see online. It says the word came from the "Easterlings", coiners from the eastern German states who were brought to England in the reign of Henry II (1154 to 1189) to fix the quality of the coinage. Encyclopaedia Britannica calls the star theory more plausible. The Oxford English Dictionary, as cited on Wikipedia, calls the Easterling theory untenable.

So when you wear sterling, you're wearing a word that began as a small star on a coin. I like that.

Star with Gems Fluid | 925 Silver Ring for Women & Men

Rs. 4,999

A star set with moonstone or amethyst at its centre, on a moving Fluid band. It's a quiet nod to the "coin with a star" behind the word sterling, and our site lists the Fluid rings as waterproof for daily wear.

Starry Night | 925 Silver charms for Bracelets / Chain

Rs. 2,499

The darkest charm in our range: a deep enamel ground with small points of light across it. It works alone on a chain or as the one dark note on a charm bracelet.

Style it: Put Starry Night on a plain chain for work, then add it to a charm bracelet for the weekend.

When did sterling silver become the standard?

Sterling became the standard for English money in Anglo-Saxon times, and it stayed there for well over a thousand years. Here are the dates that matter.

What does the pound sterling have to do with silver?

The British pound is named after a real pound of silver. In Anglo-Saxon England, a pound of silver was turned into 240 silver pennies. Those pennies were called sterlings, and 240 of them made "a pound of sterlings". The name was later shortened to pound sterling, and Britain's money is still called that today.

One small correction here, because it appears in a lot of blogs. That old pound was the Tower pound, which weighed about 349.9 grams. It was not the modern pound of 453.6 grams.

The standard held for centuries. It was only in 1920 that Britain cut its coins to 50% silver. By 1947, everyday British coins had no silver at all. The one exception is Maundy money, the small coins the monarch gives out each year, which went back to sterling.

Triquetra fluid | 925 Silver Couple Ring

Rs. 10,999

The three cornered Celtic knot, a symbol of continuity, worked around a moving band. It's a couple's ring with a sense of history, and it comes in sizes 8 to 30.

Style it: Wear it alone. A knot this meaningful doesn't need a stack around it.

How did a British standard end up in India?

Sterling spread through trade, and today it's simply the global language of silver jewellery. Most silver jewellery sold across the world is 925, from Italy to Thailand to India.

India has its own long story with silver, of course. Our anklets, toe rings, puja thalis and wedding coins go back generations. What changed is the stamp. Buyers now want to see a clear number, and 925 is the number most of the world trusts.

That's also why the Bureau of Indian Standards has set out grades and marks for silver. I'll explain the hallmark in detail in our next post, on Thursday.

Vicenza | 925 Silver Bracelet chain for Women

Rs. 5,999

Named for the town in the Veneto that has worked precious metal for more than seven centuries. Even spacing, clean links and nothing that catches on knitwear. It suits a blazer and a cotton sari equally well.

Is sterling silver good for sensitive skin?

For most people, yes. Sterling silver is mostly silver, and silver rarely bothers skin. The problems usually come from nickel, which some cheap alloys and plated pieces contain.

At Oprata, we don't use nickel, cadmium or lead in our jewellery. Many of our pieces are also rhodium plated, which adds a hard, bright layer between the silver and your skin.

If your skin is very sensitive, start with studs or a ring you can take off easily. And if a rash appears, stop wearing the piece and see a dermatologist. Don't try to push through it.

How can you tell if silver is really 925?

Start with the stamp, then check the paperwork. No single home test is perfect, so use a few together.

1. Look for the 925 stamp. It's usually inside a ring band, on a clasp or on the back of a pendant. Use your phone camera and zoom in.
2. Look for a BIS hallmark. A hallmarked piece carries the BIS mark with the word SILVER, the purity grade and a 6 character HUID code. You can check that code in the BIS Care app.
3. Try a magnet. Silver isn't magnetic. If a magnet grabs the piece hard, it isn't solid silver. A piece that ignores the magnet still isn't proven, though, because some other metals aren't magnetic either.
4. Ask for a bill and a certificate. Every Oprata piece is stamped 925 and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
5. Watch the price. At the end of September 2026, fine silver traded at about Rs. 245 to Rs. 257 a gram in Delhi. A heavy "silver" piece priced far below its metal value should make you pause.

Filippina Necklace | 925 Silver Necklace for Women

Rs. 7,799

The most detailed necklace in our Monet range, with 6A cubic zirconia, freshwater pearl and glass enamel on a rhodium plated sterling base. Stone work this dense needs settings that won't bend, which is exactly what 925 is for.

Serpent | 925 Silver chain for Pendant

Rs. 2,999

A flat snake chain that sits smooth against the skin with no visible links. It's the most formal chain in our range and the easiest one to wear under a collar.

Style it: Put your favourite pendant on Serpent for office days. It lies flat and doesn't tangle.

What mistakes do people make when buying silver?

After years around luxury retail, I've noticed the same few mistakes again and again. None of them are silly. They come from how silver is sold.

• Treating "silver" and "silver plated" as the same. The words sound alike. The metal isn't. Ask directly.
• Believing the stamp alone. A stamp is easy to punch. A bill, a certificate and a HUID are harder to fake.
• Chasing the lowest price per gram. Design, stones, enamel and finishing all cost money. A plain chain and a hand painted pendant can't be priced the same way.
• Expecting silver never to darken. All sterling silver can tarnish over time. Plating slows it down. Good care slows it more. We'll cover this in detail in our tarnish care guide.
• Storing silver loose in a drawer. Pieces scratch each other. Keep each one in its own pouch, or store it safely in your OPRATA BOXX.

Is sterling silver worth buying in 2026?

Yes, if you buy it for the right reasons. Sterling is strong, wearable and easy to care for. It lets you own designs in real precious metal at a fraction of what gold costs.

It isn't the right choice if your main goal is to sell it again later. Most of what you pay for in a designed silver piece is craft, not metal, and craft doesn't come back when you sell. I'll explain that maths properly in our post on 15 October.

Here's a simple way to decide.

How should you care for sterling silver?

Wear it, wipe it and store it dry. Those three habits do most of the work.

Wipe your jewellery with a soft, dry cloth after you wear it. Keep it away from perfume, sanitiser and chlorine. Store each piece in a pouch or a zip bag. If a piece is rhodium plated, our care guide says to keep it away from water and silver polish, and to clean it with a dry microfibre cloth only.

You'll find the full routine on our silver jewellery care page.

Frequently asked questions about sterling silver

What is the difference between 925 silver and sterling silver?

There is no difference between 925 silver and sterling silver. Both terms describe an alloy that is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metal, usually copper. The number 925 is simply how jewellers write that purity out of 1,000, and sterling is the traditional name for the same standard.

Why is it called sterling silver?

Sterling silver is most likely named after the Old English word "steorling", meaning a coin with a star, because some early Norman pennies carried small stars. English silver pennies were called sterlings, and the silver used to make them became known as sterling silver. An older Easterlings theory is now considered unlikely.

Is sterling silver better than pure silver for jewellery?

Sterling silver is better than pure silver for most jewellery because it is harder and stronger. Pure 999 silver bends, dents and scratches easily. The 7.5% copper in sterling silver helps rings, clasps and stone settings keep their shape through years of regular wear.

Does sterling silver tarnish?

Sterling silver can tarnish over time when it meets sulphur compounds in the air, sweat, perfume or chlorine. Rhodium plating, dry storage and wiping the piece after wear all slow tarnish down. Light tarnish on unplated sterling silver can usually be removed with a silver polishing cloth.

How do I know if my sterling silver is genuine?

Genuine sterling silver usually carries a 925 stamp. A BIS hallmarked piece also shows the BIS mark with the word SILVER, the purity grade and a 6 character HUID that you can verify in the BIS Care app. A bill and a certificate of authenticity add further proof.

Is sterling silver jewellery safe to wear every day?

Sterling silver jewellery is safe to wear every day for most people, because silver rarely irritates skin. Irritation usually comes from nickel in cheaper alloys. Oprata sterling silver jewellery is made without nickel, cadmium or lead, and rhodium plated pieces add a hard protective layer.

Where to find Oprata sterling silver

• Oprata was started by a team with more than twenty years of experience, and we hold BIS hallmarking licence HM/C-8790205925.
• Explore the hand painted Van Gogh collection and the stone set Monet collection.
• Browse our Fluid rings, which move as you wear them.
• Visit us at Habitat Centre, Indirapuram, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Our store is open every day, 11 AM to 10 PM. Details are on our store locator.
• Message us on WhatsApp at +91 88825 06897.

Three digits, one small star and a thousand years of history. Not bad for the inside of a ring.