First, some exciting news… I’ve successfully applied for an official Assay Hallmark. All I have to wait for now is the stamp to be manufactured, and I’ll be able to have my silver pieces hallmarked at the Sheffield Assay Office.
My stamp will be SBR, standing for Stuff By Rox. It’ll be marked 925 (meaning it’s 925 parts silver to every 1000 parts metal). It’ll be stamped with the Yorkshire Rose for the Sheffield Assay Office, and will feature the Lion Passant, which indicates the metal is Silver.
It’s a huge milestone — and a perfect moment to talk about why hallmarks matter, and why I’m so particular about the silver I use.
Hallmarks are a quality standard you’ll have seen on many precious pieces of jewellery. The Assay Office independently certifies precious metals so a buyer can be confident that the item being sold is genuinely the metal the seller claims it to be.
But buyers need to be careful — not all “silver” is what it seems.
German Silver contains no silver at all — it’s an alloy of white metals, often with nickel (a common allergen).
Tibetan Silver refers to colour, not content.
Nickel Silver also contains no silver.
The most common silver used for jewellery is Sterling Silver. The most common mark you’ll find on Sterling Silver is 925. When on it’s own (not accompianied by British Assay Marks) – the 925 generally means it’s been imported – or the piece is below the weight required to be hallmarked (that’s 7.78g for silver.)
When a piece is stamped 925 or labelled Sterling, it means there are at least 925 parts silver to every 1000 parts of metal — or 92.5% silver.
The remaining 7.5% can be any kind of metal at all. This is where a lot of confusion can arise; if that 7.5% contains nickel, zinc, or other metals that cause allergic reactions, people can mistakenly think they’re allergic to silver when they aren’t.
Silver is actually considered hypoallergenic, and there’s no scientific evidence that an allergy to pure silver actually exists. In fact, silver is antibacterial, often used in medical settings, and used in colloidial silver for treating wounds.
In contrast, nickel allergies affect 10-15% of people. It’s very easy to see why people get muddled about it!
It can be very difficult to tell silver plated and pure silver apart – especially when brand new. Silver plated jewellery is a base metal (usually copper) which is then plated with a layer of nickel, and then silver.
The nickel is applied because copper is a ‘migratory’ metal. It will travel through the silver and say hello to you! It actually makes the piece of jewellery look very interesting, with a pinkish hue.
However, copper can’t travel through nickel. This is why EPNS cutlery was invented; (Electro Plated Nickel Silver). The problem in jewellery is that when the silver inevitably wears off, you still have a layer of nickel – which looks silver. So for all intents and purposes, you are now in contact with a metal which causes contact dermatitis, but poor old silver will get the blame!
I work with Argentium Silver – a newer alloy with unique properties.
Firstly, it’s higher quality than Sterling Silver. It’s 940, meaning it contains 94% pure silver, with the remaining 6% made up of copper (for strength – pure silver is very soft) and a metal called germanium.
The alloy process is tightly controlled, the silver is recycled and sustainable, and the germanium helps resist tarnishing by capturing oxygen and slowing the oxidation process.
It’s beautiful, durable, and kinder to the environment and the wearer.
I’m proud to be a member of the Argentium Guild – when making jewellery, I can be confident that the silver I’m using is of the highest standard, won’t cause any allergic reactions, and you can be sure I care about what materials I use.
Thanks for reading my little blog post. If you’d like to find out more about me, my work, and the stories behind each piece, you’re always welcome to explore the rest of Stuff By Rox. You’ll find jewellery, gems, and a few unexpected treasures along the way. And if you’d like to say hello in person, keep an eye on my events page – I’d love for you to pop by, say hello, and see the sparkle up close.
