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Sterling Silver v Silver Plated:What's the difference?
From durability to colour, there are many differences between Sterling Silver & Silver Plated jewellery. Here's everything you need to know including why we only use 100% recycled Sterling Silver at Alokki
Alokki is crafted from sterling silver. In particular, we only use 100% recycled silver as it is better for the environment, and will outlast alternate silver options such as silver plating. Our contemporary silver designs are perfect for everyday wear, whether you're after a new pair of hoops, or elegant stacking rings - you'll look stunning in your new pieces. We use this same recycled silver as the base for our gold jewellery collection. Crafted from 18ct gold vermeil, there's no better way to wear it than to mix silver and gold jewellery together for modern style.
Step into the spotlight with gorgeous silver jewellery. Designed to bring elegance to every outfit, you won't want to be without sterling silver jewellery, from Alokki.
Sterling silver jewellery differs from silver plated in what it is made of Sterling silver is an alloy, made of 92.5% pure silver, and 7.5% other alloy. These other alloys tend to be copper or zinc. Due to the pure silver constitution, sterling silver is often known as 925 silver. Our 100% recycled sterling silver is more durable than silver-plated jewellery and is far less likely to chip, scratch or dull.
If you're looking to tell silver plated vs sterling silver apart, there are a few simple ways. The easiest being to check for an authenticity stamp. Real sterling silver usually has a '925' or 'sterling' stamp, often on the inside of rings or on the tags. Other than this, pay close attention to the weight as you should be able to feel a difference between silver plated vs sterling silver, with the former being heavier. Finally, if you've been wearing a piece for a while and find it is irritating you, it is most likely plated rather than sterling silver. This is because the base metal on silver-plated jewellery is not silver, and is more likely to cause an allergic reaction.
What is Silver Plated?
Silver plated refers to jewellery created by covering a base metal, such as copper or brass, in a very thin layer of sterling silver. The coating can be anywhere from 1 micron to 10 microns thick. This base metal can be more affordable than sterling silver or pure silver, which in turn can lead to a more affordable piece of silver jewellery.
This method of coating a base material with a valuable metal is also seen in gold plated and gold vermeil. Both of which use different plating techniques to coat base metals with gold.
As silver plated jewellery consists of two parts, it does contain real silver, despite not being 100% so. In this way plated silver is real, but only its coating and not its core.
As silver plated jewellery only has a thin layer of silver bonded to its surface, it can be scratched or tarnished easily. However, with proper care and jewellery cleaning, you could see silver plated pieces last for a long time. A key difference between silver plated vs sterling silver is that tarnishes can be easily cleaned out of sterling silver, but not so easily with silver plated.
