Silver Content Hallmarks
Silver jewelry weighing 8.0 grams or more must be provided with a hallmark.
This is measured in three levels.
- In 1st grade Silver jewelry, the stamp ' 925 ' is used as a hallmark. The stamp is symbolized in a sword . This is also called Sterling Silver.
- In 2nd grade Silver jewelry is stamped ' 835 ' as hallmark. The stamp is also symbolized in a sword .
- In 3rd grade Silver jewelry is stamped ' 800 ' as hallmark. The stamp is symbolized in an octagon .
Explanation of silver alloys
There are 3 silver content levels according to the Dutch hallmark. The first, second and third silver content.
Below is an explanation of the exact alloy of each grade.
The first grade of silver
The first grade of silver is also called sterling silver. It consists of 925 parts (92.5%) pure silver and 75 parts (7.5%) copper. This is the most common silver grade for jewelry. This is due to the beautiful white color and the good workability. In England, the first grade of silver is also called Standard Silver. Internationally, this is called Sterling Silver. This silver grade is stamped with a .925 hallmark.
A fun fact is that goldsmiths in Peru do not work with .925 silver, but with .950 silver. This alloy has an even more beautiful and whiter shine than .925 silver. This alloy is hard enough to make silver jewelry.
The second grade of silver
The second grade of silver consists of 835 parts (83.5%) pure silver and 165 parts (16.5%) copper. This alloy contains less silver and more copper. As a result, it is less beautiful in terms of colour than the first grade. This silver alloy is therefore less used for silver jewellery.
The third grade of silver
The third level of silver consists of 800 parts (80%) pure silver and 200 parts (20%) copper. This is only used for utensils where a harder silver alloy is important. An example of this is watch cases. This is stamped with a .800 hallmark.
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