925 (sterling silver)
The metal is sterling silver: at least 925 parts in every 1,000 are pure silver.
How to read it
In the US, the FTC’s jewelry guides say the words sterling silver, sterling or the abbreviation Ster. belong only on metal that is at least 925/1,000ths pure silver, and the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act sets the same figure for anything marked sterling. The UK’s Hallmarking Act reads the word the same way, as a standard of fineness of 925, and 925 is one of the four silver standards it lists for hallmarking.
Also searched as: 925, 925 silver, S925, Ster., sterling.
A stamp is a claim about the metal, made by whoever struck it. This page says what each mark means under the rules that define it; it doesn’t test or value anything.
Is 925 the same as sterling silver?
Yes. The figures and the word stand for the same standard in both countries’ rules: 925 parts per thousand of pure silver.
925 or coin silver?
Coin silver is a lower standard: the FTC’s guides and the Stamping Act keep the words coin and coin silver for metal of at least 900 parts pure silver. In the UK, a hallmarked sterling piece also carries the lion passant.
More jewellery marks
Sources
- Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries (16 CFR Part 23), 16 CFR Part 23 (1 January 2021 edition), Federal Trade Commission, published by the U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 23.5(b)(2)
- Falsely Stamped Gold or Silver or Goods Manufactured Therefrom (15 U.S.C. chapter 8), 15 U.S.C. 291–300, the National Gold and Silver Stamping Act (2021 edition), U.S. Government Publishing Office, § 296
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 1, Hallmarking Act 1973 (c. 43), Sch. 1, Pt. III, legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), Sch. 1, Pt. III, para. 3(2)
- Hallmarking Act 1973, Schedule 2: Approved Hallmarks, Hallmarking Act 1973 (c. 43), Sch. 2, legislation.gov.uk (The National Archives), Sch. 2, Pt. I, para. 2
Last reviewed September 27, 2026 by Rory Hansen. How we research