The Metals

Sterling Silver

Fine silver is alloyed with copper to create sterling silver, which is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper. This percentage of fine silver is why you will sometimes see sterling silver referred to as '925 silver' or hallmarked with a 925 stamp.

Sterling silver jewellery has to be hallmarked by law if the weight of the metal within the piece weighs 7.78grams or above. This includes any base metals, such as copper or brass. If not hallmarked, the piece can only be described as ‘white metal’. If a piece contains base metal as well as silver the word ‘metal’ will appear beneath the hallmark so you know that any metal that is gold in colour is likely to be brass, not gold. If the piece is mixed precious metals, ie silver and 9ct gold, then either the word metal will not be present or the part hallmark of the gold will also be applied.

The copper makes the silver harder, more durable and therefore much better to work with and use, but without compromising on colour. Most silver jewellery that you buy and wear will be sterling silver.

Gold Filled

Gold filled is also known as ‘rolled gold’ or ‘gold bonded’, and is created by mechanically bonding a layer of gold to a layer of base metal. Gold filled has a distinct layer of gold and the core is usually brass. The gold is then bonded to the surface of the brass using heat and pressure. This is a permanent bond so the gold won’t flake, peel or fall off unlike gold plated.

By law, the total weight of a gold filled item must contain 5% (or 1/20) of gold. If it contains less than 5%, it cannot legally be called gold filled. For comparison, the total amount of gold a gold plated item usually has is under 0.05% of the overall weight of the product.

Gold

Carat, when seen with gold, is the percentage of pure gold contained in the metal of an item.

In the UK, all items containing precious metals and weighing 1 gram, or more, must be stamped with a hallmark that certifies the purity of the metal in the article.

24-carat gold is the purest available form of gold. 99.99% pure. Yellow in colour and highly valuable. Pure gold is very soft, and so it is rarely used in jewellery.

22-carat gold is 91.6% pure gold. Still very soft, 22-carat gold is not usually found in items of jewellery except in wedding bands and similar jewellery.

18-carat gold is 75% pure gold. When alloyed with other metals to give colour and strength, 18-carat gold is popular for use in gold jewellery. The tone of 18-carat gold is warmer than 14 or 9ct gold.

14-carat gold has 58.5% pure gold. This is usually a warm coloured metal. The lower price of 14ct gold and its durability makes it a popular choice for jewellery.

9-carat gold is 37.5% pure gold. This grade of gold is a light yellow colour. A robust metal, well suited to use in jewellery to be worn every day. The low cost of 9ct gold assures its popularity. 9ct gold is the lowest grade that can, legally, be termed as gold in the United Kingdom.