925 silver plated, gold plated what exactly is it? Have you always wondered what “silver plated” means? Or you have a question like: what is sterling silver?

Where Silver Plating Began

We’re not going to give you a complete history lesson here. But I think it’s always helpful to know a little history about a topic.

Silver plating was invented in the United Kingdom around 1740 in a place called Sheffield. This explains the name, which is Sheffield Plate. Another name for this process is Flat Fusion. This process remained quite simple compared to more recently constructed silver plated items. It essentially consists of applying a thin layer of silver on one side and the base metal, copper, on the other.

The silver plating process

Evolution began when the industrial revolution made electricity possible. This is how a new process called electroplating was born.

Electroplating is the following process: For example, a bracelet and a silver bar are coated with a liquid containing the metal ions. Then you apply an electric current to the bracelet. The current (+) goes to the metal, and the current (-) goes to the bracelet. This process produces a thin layer of silver.

At first, only copper was used. Now the base material can be a whole variety of metals.

Difference between silver plated and sterling silver

The main difference is that sterling silver contains 92.5% silver. Hence sometimes the name 925 silver. The remaining 7.5% is made up of other metals such as copper. As a result, it tarnishes over time and takes on that well-known dark appearance.

Jewelry made from 99.9% pure or fine silver is difficult to make. It may sound strange, but the metal is too soft to be used in jewelry when used in its purest form. It’s the same for

Besides the well-known 925 sterling silver, there are also 850 silver and 625 silver. However, they never carry sterling. In our Silver Qualities table , you will find a list of the main alloys.

Pure or fine silver has a silver content of 99.9%. So it is very difficult to make silver jewelry. It may sound strange, but the metal is too soft to be used in jewelry in its purest form. This is why it is always worked with an alloy. These alloys or compositions are generally made of copper, nickel or zinc.

Silver plated hallmarks

A brief explanation of the hallmarks. Hallmarks are those little letters and numbers that you can sometimes see in the metal. As picture below

The most common hallmark for silver plating is the “EP” hallmark, which stands for electroplated (galvanized). This hallmark indicates that the item is made from a base metal (such as copper or brass) that has been coated with a layer of silver through a galvanic process. The “EP” mark is often accompanied by additional symbols or letters representing the manufacturer or the specific galvanizing process used.

EPBM (for electroplated Britannia metal), etc.

It is important to note that the presence of a silver hallmark does not mean that the object is made of solid silver.

Does silver plated jewelry and gold plated jewelry tarnish?

A question often asked is the lifespan of jewelry silvering. It depends on a number of factors. The most determining factor is the quality of the silvering. And yes, there are different levels of plating quality and, especially for silver jewelry, there is a big difference. At Yazzy’s, we ensure that we only sell jewelry with very good quality silvering. Therefore, silver plated jewelry will last a very long time.

One of the elements that directly affects quality is the thickness of the silvering. In fact, it is not easy to silver a piece of jewelry correctly. You can also do the silvering yourself, but you will never get as good a result. Also, if you want a piece of jewelry that lasts a long time, don’t choose 24-karat gold-plated jewelry. In fact, the higher the carat, the softer the gold. So 24k gold plated, also called Chinese gold, will not last as long as 18k gold plated or even 14k gold plated.

Silver plated filigree bracelet

It is a myth that 24k gold plated jewelry lasts longer. You can find more information about this in our article

Where to find high quality silver plated and gold plated jewelry?

The carat of the plating also influences the lifespan of the plating. You may know that the higher the carat, the softer the gold. In the case of silver, the higher the silver content, the softer it is.

Therefore, the higher the carat of the gold plating, the faster it will peel or fade. So the 24k gold plating will fade relatively quickly. So it is not wise to choose gold plated jewelry with this type of plating.

Most importantly, you need to take care of your jewelry and accessories. This means do not shower while wearing them and do not swim with your jewelry on.

It’s always difficult. However, we’re going to give you an insider tip. You can find high quality silver plated and gold plated jewelry, like earrings and rings, at Yazzy. The same goes for children’s jewelry.