I have a passion for cooking and have spent many years mastering the art. My specialties are cooked from scratch southern-style, down-home dishes and meals, antique and handed-down family recipes, and I love creating my own recipes. I'm also experienced in home-canning and freezing foods.
Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by mass of silver and 7.5% by mass of other metals, usually copper.The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.Fine silver, for example 99.9% pure silver, is generally too soft for producing functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength while preserving the ductility and appearance of the precious metal.ine silver, for example 99.9% pure silver, is generally too soft for producing functional objects; therefore, the silver is usually alloyed with copper to give it strength while preserving the ductility and appearance of the precious metal.
A. Fine silver is 99.9 percent pure or more, but it is very soft and unsuitable for most uses, Katherina. Sterling silver is defined as 92.5 percent pure or higher. Sometimes, as you note, 95 percent pure silver is sold; this has more silver than the minimum it needs to be called sterling but it's still sterling.