What does 925 mean on jewelry?
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- Oct 3,2026
What does 925 mean on jewelry?
925 is a purity stamp for sterling silver. It means the metal is 92.5% silver, with the remaining 7.5% — typically copper — added for hardness, because pure silver is too soft for everyday wear. The number is a material percentage, not a brand code or a quality grade.
Where buyers most often meet a 925 mark
- Silver-toned pieces: a plain 925 stamp on a white-metal piece means the body itself is sterling silver.
- Gold-toned pieces: 925 under a gold color usually means gold plating over a sterling silver core — a construction the trade calls vermeil. The 925 describes the core, and the surface layer is the plated part.
One clarification for our catalog context: Hengdian (HD) Jewelry's wholesale fashion line is 18K gold plated brass, so our gold plated pieces do not carry a 925 stamp — that mark belongs to silver-core construction. If a supplier offers you gold-toned stock stamped 925, ask specifically what the plating karat and thickness are, because the stamp alone only describes the metal underneath. For our own material and plating specifications, message Hengdian (HD) Jewelry on WhatsApp.